WWE High
by JorriexLover
Summary: When Torrie Wilson returns home to WWEHS, an awful lot has changed. John, Torrie, Randy, Stacy, Batista, Candice, Maria, Jeff, Mickie, Cody, Layla, Punk, Kelly, Evan, HHH, Stephanie, HBK, Ted, Maryse, Lilian, Ashley, Matt, Edge, Lita, Daniel, AJ, Trish, Chris, Rosa, Eve, the Bella's, Sheamus, Rey, & Christian.
1. The Word on the Street

**Welcome to my new story! Now, I'm not sure when this will be done, due to the fact that I have to turn my laptop in on Monday, but we'll see how updating goes this summer. This is my first crack at multi-couples so bear with me. Well, onto the first chapter! **

_I'm moving back. _

Stacy Ann-Marie let out a loud squeal, startling her friend, Randy Orton.

"Ouch, Stace, must you scream?" he smiled, though. The leggy blond had a habit of getting overly excited.

"Torrie's moving back, Randy! My best friend's coming back!" Stacy couldn't help but contain her excitement. "Just in time for senior year!"

Randy continued to smile at her. "When is she coming back?"

Stacy shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I'll just have to text her back." _When?_

Almost instantly, Torrie replied, _Tomorrow_.

"Tomorrow!" she screeched. "I can't believe it, I've gotta tell the girls!"

Randy put his hand on Stacy's shoulder. "Uh...shouldn't wait until she gets here. I mean, maybe she doesn't want a lot of people knowing just yet."

Stacy bit her lip. Maybe Randy was right. "Okay, then. Let's keep it between us. And for God's sake, don't tell John."

Randy nodded. "Wasn't planning on it, Stace. He may be my best friend, but I just don't know how he'd react. After that awful break up between them, I just don't know if he could handle it."

Stacy gave Randy a quick hug. "I can't wait to see her, regardless. I can only hope that she and John aren't too cold to each other. It'll make it awkward for all of us."

Randy totally agreed. "Yeah, I guess I'll see you tomorrow, Stace."

She smiled, brushing a lock of hair behind her ear. "Bye, Randy."

He turned, walking away. Stacy couldn't help but stare at 'The Viper,' as he was nicknamed due to his brutality on the football field. She and him had been friends for years, but she'd be lying if she said that she didn't want to be more. However, because he was so popular with the girls at school, Stacy doubted she had a chance with him. But, stranger things had happened. Her best friend, Torrie Wilson, was moving back and she'd thought that she'd _never_ see that happen again.

Only time would tell what was to come.

Candice Michelle Beckman, Lilian Garcia, Maria Kanellis, Mickie James and Stephanie McMahon, and Kelly Blank were sitting at the food court at the mall, splitting two platters of nachos. After a long day of back-to-school shopping, the six friends were taking a much-needed break to eat and gossip about what was to come their senior year.

Candice took a long swig of her Dr. Pepper and said, "You think Stacy and Randy will finally get together?"

The other four girls exchanged smiles.

"Maybe," Kelly said, "I mean, they get closer every day."

Mickie nodded. "That's why she couldn't come today. She and Randy were 'hanging out.'" She used air quotes to put emphasis on 'hanging out.'

Mickie's best friend, Maria, laughed. "I'm sure that's all they were doing."

Lilian shrugged. "That's what they usually do. Randy's too dim to notice that she likes him and Stacy's too damn shy to make a move." She shook her head.

"I don't know if they _ever_ will!" Stephanie exclaimed, "I've known them both since pre-K and they've liked each other since then. God, I-"

"That's why he's taking _me _out Saturday!"

The six friends looked up to see Rosa Mendez, Layla El, Eve Torres, AJ Lee, and Nicki and Brie Bella. The girl that had spoken was Rosa, the queen bee of the group of school 'nasties,' as they liked to call them.

Mickie, being the most outspoken of the group, stood up and said, "That's the _only_ reason, Rosa. You know that if he got an inkling that Stacy liked him, he'd drop you like the spoiled tamale you are!"

Her friends all bursted in giggles as Rosa began to sputter in Spanish.

"You make fun of my ethnicity? How original!" Rosa rolled her eyes.

Mickie shrugged. "I didn't say anything about you being Latina. Of course not, Maria and Lilian are both Latina, too. But then again, they're not bitches, either."

Eve and the Bella's gasped.

Rosa smiled wickedly. "Miss James, you are going to regret that. Come on, girls."

Her friends followed her, not daring to do otherwise.

Jeff and Matt Hardy, Dave Batista, Adam Copeland, CM Punk, Paul Levesque, Shawn Michaels and John Cena were throwing around a football, a makeshift game on their last day of summer vacation.

"Where's Randy?" Dave asked, passing the football to John.

Adam snickered. "He's with Stacy, of course. Said he had to help her study."

The Hardys both laughed. "Dude, what the hell? School's out!" Jeff said.

"Until tomorrow," Matt corrected.

John shook his head, throwing the ball to CM. "Fuck that. I'm so sick of school and we haven't went back yet. I'd rather party til' five and sleep'til two, party til' five. Not study until ten and sleep until six."

Punk snorted. "Dude, we're only studying from eight til' three-fifteen."

"Unless we got homework," Dave said, "not that I'll do it."

"You'll copy off of Mickie!" Jeff said, teasing Dave.

He shrugged. "Jeff, your girlfriend's really freaking smart and she offers to help me. Who the hell am I to say no?"

The other guys laughed, too.

"Yeah," Matt started, "I'm going to miss hanging out with Lita all day."

The other guys agreed. There was nothing like going to the lake, going to the city, and going to baseball games with their girlfriends, not having to worry about school. But school _did _mean things like dances (not that they liked them), football and basketball games, and graduation. Yep, they would all be graduating this year. That is, if they kept their grades up. This was all a bit surreal to them.

"I feel ya, man," Punk said, "I spent all summer trying to get Kelly to go out with me and-"

"She blew you off like a chore!" Adam laughed.

Punk glared at him. "Like you got anything from Ashley!"

Adam smiled. "Oh, I did!"

"Bullshit!" Paul said, punching Adam, "dude, Ashley's a saint."

"Despite her piercings...," Shawn trailed off.

Dave didn't have a girlfriend. Sure, he had someone in mind, but she wasn't the type to go after him. This year, however, he was going to try his hardest. Because that girl was definitely worth it. Shawn had a girlfriend named Rebecca, but she went to a different school. Paul had his sights set on the principal's daughter. Seeing as though he and Shawn were nothing but trouble, this wasn't a good thing. In a hilarious way, of course.

John, on the other hand, _did_ have a girlfriend. Ironically enough, though, she wasn't the one that he wanted. The one he wanted was gone, had been gone for a while now. She'd said some things, he'd said some things, terrible things had happened, but surely, they could have gotten past them. But now, she was living across the country, away from him.

The one girl he wanted was the one girl he couldn't have.

Amy "Lita" Dumas, Trish Stratus, Maryse Ouellet, and Ashley Massaro were all sitting in Trish's bedroom, watching a rerun of _Friends_, debating on which one of the guys was the best.

"Obviously, it's Joey," Maryse, the French-Canadian said, "he's funny!"

"I like him," Lita agreed, "he doesn't share his food, either."

Trish and Ashley laughed. "I think Chandler's the best. He's got a dry, sarcastic sense of humor. Kind of like you, Lita," Ashley teased.

Lita grinned and rolled her eyes. "Hush it, Ash, before I rip those snake bites out of you."

The blond touched them and giggled.

"Ross is best!" Trish said, "Who else can been married twice, have two kids, _and_ be a college professor!"

"Honey, his first wife was a lesbian and his second daughter was an accident. Just agree with me that Joey's best," Maryse folded her arms.

Trish went to say something, but Maryse's phone buzzed.

"Who's that?" Ashley asked, leaning over to look.

Maryse giggled and hugged her phone to her chest. "Nobody!"

The other three girls exchanged glances. They knew who it was: Ted Dibiase, Maryse's boyfriend.

All four of the girls were in a relationship of some kind. Ted and Maryse, Matt and Lita, Ashley and Adam (though they weren't official), and Trish and Christian. Only one of those girls weren't happy and that was Trish. The guy she actually loved was still there, still at their school. But he was so very distant and it was her own fault. She'd dumped him years ago to be with Christian.

But now, she wondered if she'd made the right decision.

Cody Rhodes, his best friend, Ted Dibiase, Evan Bourne, and Chris Jericho were all at the Nike store, looking for cleats for the upcoming football tryouts. Granted, not all of them would make it, but regardless, they wanted to be prepared. Three of them had played before, but on different teams. Cody and Evan had both been second string, with Chris on first, and Ted hadn't played last year, due to an injured knee. But know he was back and better than ever.

"What about these?" Evan picked up a pair of black ones with silver trim.

"Nice," Cody agreed. "What about the price?"

Evan looked down at the price tag and sighed. "Not for that much." He sat them down and looked at the floor, sadly.

"There will be more," Chris could see that his friend had had his heart set on those shoes.

"Hey!" Ted screeched from across the room, "I found some on sale!"

The three of them darted across the store to where Ted stood. Ted was holding blue and white ones in his size. "I don't care about you guys, these are mine."

Cody snickered. "And these are mine." They were white with grey trim.

"Hey, Evan, look," Chris pointed to a black and silver pair.

Evan's eyes shone with excitement. "These are almost exactly like the others! They're just cooler." He grinned.

Chris finally chose black ones with red trim. They reminded him of his ex-girlfriend, who he still really loved.

"You finally get Kelly to go out with you?" Ted nudged Evan, asking about one of Evan's best friends.

Evan blushed. "No, dude, I told you, she's like my best friend. That's just too weird. Besides, Punk's already after her."

Cody shrugged. "It can't be that hard, man."

"You say that and we _all_ know that Layla's single. Bro, it's not as easy as it sounds," Chris defended Evan.

Ted opened his mouth to say something, but Chris interrupted him. "And you and Maryse are Frenchy-kissy all the time anyway, so don't even open your mouth."

Ted grinned, knowing that it was true. Yes, he was extremely proud to call Maryse his girlfriend. She was exotic, nice, and _extremely_ sexy. "Ah...well."

"Ah, well...nothing," Evan said, "you've got it good, you know that?"

Ted shrugged. He _did _have it good.

Lana and Torrie Wilson stepped out of the cab and into their new house. It felt strange being back in town, especially everything that had happened. Torrie looked around, recognizing the smell of grass and sun of her old neighborhood. Their old house had been bought by the Blanks, so now that she was back, she and her mother would be living in the house next door to theirs. She couldn't help but wonder what was to come. Would her old friends accept her, even though she'd moved without an explanation? Or had Stacy blabbed? Did everyone else now know what had made her leave in the first place? And of course, had John even missed her?

"Are you ready, honey?"

Torrie picked up her puppies, Chloe, Stewie, and Pepper and whispered, "I'm ready."

**Kinda short, I know. But since this was the introduction, it kind of had to be. Don't worry, things will start heating up. Whoa, there's a lot of characters! LOL, most of them are just minor, especially some of them who are already in relationships. The main couple, of course, is Jorrie, but Maria, Mickie, Jeff, Adam, Ashley, Matt, Lita, and a few more will be very important, too. If you've got any ideas/requests, feel free to PM or review me. I'm open to all things, just as long as I get to keep some of my ideas for the ending. Oh, and Dashings Destiny, I threw Cody/Layla in there just for you! Well, hope you all enjoyed! **


	2. The First Day of Senior Year

**Thanks to giuliettawow****for the review. I will definitely squeeze HHH and Stephanie into the main characters slot, was planning on it, anyway. Also, thanks to Dashings Destiny, XangelofsloX, Cena's baby doll, and CenaRKO1986.**

Stephanie McMahon and Kelly Blank pushed the doors to the high school open. It looked just as it had when they'd left it in May. Not that they were too happy to be back, of course. Stephanie practically lived here, thanks to the fact that her father was superintendent and her mother was president of the school board. Her brother, Shane, was now in college, majoring in business. Basically, that was what she was destined to do.

Kelly was listless. Her feelings for CM Punk were unidentifiable. Conflicted was an understatement. All summer, he'd been pursuing her, and sure, she liked him, but just wasn't totally sure if she liked him enough to date him. And then, there was Evan, who-

"Kells, are you even paying attention to me?"

"Huh?" Kelly snapped back to reality and looked at her best girlfriend.

Stephanie shook her head. "My God, girl. It's just the first day and you're already taking the dumb blond role."

Kelly smiled and folded her arms across her chest. "Hush now, Steph."

The two girls made their way to the corner of the lobby that they'd sat at since Freshman year. Paul Levesque and his best friend, Shawn Michaels were the only ones there so far.

"Hey, Hunter!" Kelly said, hugging him.

Paul was called 'Hunter,' dubbed by Coach Flair, because he was a defensive lineman and 'hunted' anyone with the ball. Unstoppable, he was.

Stephanie smiled, but couldn't help but feel a bit agitated. Hunter got on her nerves. He couldn't understand that rules _weren't_ meant to be broken. He and Shawn, who called themselves DX, were always getting into trouble, but Stephanie really liked Shawn. Which is why she chose to sit next to him.

"Hi, Steph," Shawn said, "what's your first class?"

Stephanie dug her schedule out of her pocket and said, "Family and Consumer Science, why?"

He made a face. "I've got some kind of computer class. I don't like computers, they just confuse me."

The other three teenagers laughed.

"What doesn't confuse you, Shawny?" Hunter asked him.

Shawn glared at him, but in a playful way. "Food obviously doesn't confuse you."

Kelly attempted to stifle a giggle, but Stephanie laughed out loud.

"Now, now, Stephanie," Hunter said, "it's not nice to laugh at other people's expense."

She shrugged, craning her neck to see who was coming toward them. Looking closer, she saw that it was Matt and Jeff, Mickie, Maria, and Lita.

"Hey, guys!" Maria, said running over to them, hugging Kelly. Obviously, they were the two most bubbly of their group.

It was no surprise that the five of them had arrived together, seeing as though they all lived in the same neighborhood. Besides that, Matt and Jeff were brothers, Mickie was Jeff's girlfriend, Maria was Mickie's best friend, _and _Lita was Matt's girlfriend. Lita was good friends with Mickie and Maria, too.

"Has anyone seen Lilian yet?" Jeff asked, "I've got something for her."

"No," Stephanie replied, "what is it?"

He blushed and Matt nudged him, smiling. "Lyrics."

"Lyrics?" Shawn asked, "Like a song?"

Jeff nodded.

Maria smiled as Mickie said, "Jeff's always been really artsy. You should see some of his paintings and-"

"Enough, Micks!" Jeff elbowed her, his face burning bright red.

She grinned and kissed him on the cheek. "Sorry, but I can't help but brag. You're just so gifted!"

The rainbow-haired boy tried to be modest but he smiled.

Maria tried not to allow a wave of jealousy pass over her. Mickie was her best friend and she shouldn't feel that way about her boyfriend.

But she did, had for a long time, and she couldn't control it. She could only conceal it.

"Yeah," Hunter said, snapping Maria back to her friends, "who all are we missing?"

"A lot," Lita said, beginning to tick off their friends on her fingers, "Stacy, Randy, Trish, Chris, Punk, Evan, Cody, Ted, Maryse, Dave, Candice, Ashley, Lilian, Adam...and John."

Silence became the group at the mention of John Cena. It wasn't that they didn't like him; they were all still great friends. It was his girlfriend that they hated.

A few minutes later, Cody, Ted, Ashley, Adam, Trish, and Maryse all showed up.

"Hi, Frenchy," Hunter said, waving to Maryse.

She rolled her eyes. She hated to be called that and he knew it. "Shut it, _Paul_." She called him by his real name.

He shut up.

"Any sign of Randy and Stacy yet?" Ashley asked.

Shawn shook his head.

"They're probably banging," Adam grinned, giving Ashley a squeeze.

She blushed.

Cody punched said him, playfully. "No way, Edge! They're both way too shy."

Because Adam was the best tight end there was on the football team, he was called 'Edge.'

"Yeah," Ted agreed, "Randy's never gonna have the balls to ask her out."

The friends fell silent, watching the guy in question walk up to them with CM Punk.

"Really now?" Randy asked.

Ted spun around, staring straight into the eyes of 'The Viper.' "N-no," Ted stammered, knowing that Randy could squish him like a bug in a matter of seconds.

Randy tried not to laugh. "Good, because I really don't think Maryse would want to see me kill you."

Maryse put her arm on Ted. "Then, I'd have to kill you, Randy."

Randy cocked his head toward Maryse. "Is that right?"

"Yes," Maryse replied, smirking.

Randy grinned. Maryse was fun to toy with.

Punk went over to Kelly and stood beside her.

She blushed, but grinned.

"Hey, Kells," he said, putting his arm around her.

She picked it off of her and said, "Hey, Punk. Don't you think that we should be together before you put your arm around me?"

He smirked. "So, does that mean you want to be together?"

Her jaw dropped. He had her there! "Uh...no. Of course not, Punk. Like I've told you all summer long, you're not my type."

He didn't stop smiling. Just being around Kelly made him happy. "Now, now," he said, "you don't have a _type_. No one has a type. Especially not you."

"Really?" she asked, moving a strand blond hair out of her face.

"Really," he replied.

As this was going on, Lilian and Candice had arrived at the school, with Dave and Chris right behind them. Chris walked beside Lilian, who walked on Candice's left with Dave on her right. It was no secret that Dave liked Candice.

But the problem was, Candice didn't like Dave. Not that way, anyway. She loved him _as a friend_, but nothing more. Most of their friends felt incredibly sorry for him, but there wasn't much they could do about it.

Immediately, Dave began to talk to Shawn and Hunter and the rest of the guys about the football team tryouts, Lilian talked to Jeff about his lyrics, and Candice spoke to Mickie, Maria, Maryse, and Kelly about cheerleading. Stephanie, Trish, Ashley, and Lita were discussing the first dance of the year. Chris and Trish did their best to avoid one another.

Stacy, John, and Evan were the only ones from the group missing now. Randy, of course, noticed due to the fact that John Cena was his best friend and he was all but crazily in love with Stacy.

"Where's John?" Randy asked, looking around.

Kelly rolled her eyes. "Probably waiting on Eve. Damn hoeski."

There was a murmur of agreements within the group.

"Hey, Trish, you ready to go to the office with me?"

Trish turned around to see her boyfriend, Christian, waiting for her. Chris Jericho looked away, staring at the floor. He shifted to his gaze to a paper clip that someone had dropped, as if it were the most interesting thing in the entire world.

"Sure," she replied, giving Chris a solemn look before leaving her friends. Everyone held their breath, praying that Chris didn't react negatively. Luckily, though, he exhaled and said, "So, what's everybody got first period?"

There was a large hum of responses, everyone relieved.

A giggle was then heard by the group of friends, and they looked up. John was coming into the school with Eve. Kelly made a sick face. Out of everyone, she probably hated her former friend the most.

There were glares as John joined his friends. "Hey, guys," he said.

"Hey," Randy finally said.

Everyone loved John, but they couldn't stand Eve Torres. She was the epitome of a straight up bitch. Stereotypical and everything. She was a cheerleader, skinny, gorgeous, wore clothes that most of them couldn't afford, let alone know the name of.

John melded into the crowd of guys and joined the conversation about the football tryouts. Eve stood with Lita and Mickie, both whom couldn't stand her. She, however, had decided to ignore this.

"So, are you guys going out for the squad?" she asked, excitedly.

"Nope," Lita and Mickie answered in unison.

Eve frowned. "Why not?"

Lita didn't respond, but Mickie, being Mickie, replied, "because I'm not going to parade in a little bitty skirt like an idiot."

Eve opened her mouth to retort, but John noticed and grabbed her arm and said, "Eve, didn't you say that you needed to go to the office for something?"

Eve nodded. "Yeah, I need to get some cheerleading paperwork."

Pulling her toward him, he said, "Let's go get it."

"Okay," she replied, "I don't need to talk to them, anyway."

He tried to keep from rolling his eyes. Eve was really getting on his nerves lately. Really and truly, he didn't like her that much as a person. He was only with her for one thing.

No prizes on guessing what that was.

The friends watched John and Eve head toward the office, their hatred for her very obvious.

Maria sighed. "I hate her. I miss Torrie-"

"Ria!" Mickie exclaimed.

"What is it?" Kelly asked, obviously confused.

Hunter decided to fill her in. "We don't talk about Torrie. Ever."

"Why?" Kelly still didn't get it.

Shawn took a deep breath. "Kel, Torrie and John had the worst break up in break up history. For a while, everything reminded John of Torrie, every blond he saw, he thought it was Torrie."

"Is that why he had a problem with me when we first moved here?"

Jeff nodded. "Not only were you blond, but your family had also bought Torrie's old house. Besides, you and Torrie are a lot alike."

"It just really hurt him," Matt chimed in.

The friends were silent, lost in their own thoughts about one Torrie Wilson.

"What's everybody glaring at?"

The friends looked up, seeing Stacy Keibler making her way over to them. But she wasn't alone. No, their friend, who'd been gone so long, the person in question, was walking right beside her.

The group stayed silent. Most of them couldn't believe their eyes. Maria and Mickie were the first to respond.

"Tor_rie_?" Maria exclaimed.

"Torrie Anne Wilson!" Mickie yelled.

The two of them, followed by Hunter, Shawn, Candice, Lilian, and Randy all darted to the blond best friends. Shawn and Hunter immediately threw their arms around Torrie, while Randy stood silently with Stacy.

"Hey, guys," Torrie said, smiling.

The two guys who called themselves DX had both really missed Torrie. Truthfully, she'd missed them, too.

Candice and Lilian practically squeezed her to death with hugs.

After they pulled away from her, Randy hugged her. "Really, really missed you, Tor. Maybe not as much as Stace, but...," he trailed off and smiled widely.

"I missed you, too, Mr. Viper. Still dominating the football team?" she grinned.

Randy wanted to say that John was, but he knew that he couldn't. If anyone didn't want to talk about John, it was Torrie. Next up was Stephanie, Ashley, Maryse, and Lita, with Kelly close behind. They all embraced her and spoke about how much they missed her.

"I guess you're the famous Torrie," Kelly said, smiling.

Torrie nodded. "And you're the famous Kelly."

Cody, Ted, Chris, Punk, Dave, Edge, Matt, and Jeff were all next. Soon, Trish and Christian returned and Trish hugged her friend.

The only one who had yet to see Torrie was John.

Suddenly, the bell rang and everyone had to go to class.

Torrie's mind was in a complete blur as she walked with her three best friends, Stacy, Candice, and Lilian. This period, they all had English, not exactly the best way to start out the day, but it _was_ senior year. That's what Torrie had to keep reminding herself. One more year and she'd be gone. She'd go to her internship at a major fashion industry and she'd go to UCLA as a fashion major. And she could forget all about John Cena.

It's funny, though. She'd said the exact same thing a year earlier when she'd moved to Boise. Her goal was to make some great new friends, get a change of scenery, perhaps meet someone new. But that wasn't what happened. What happened was that Torrie spent almost all of her time in her room, listening to sad songs like "Goodbye to You" and "Please Remember" to name a few. She filled notebook after notebook with letters to John, trying to explain things. However, she could never quite make the words come out in the right manner. So, once she found out that her parents were divorcing, Torrie jumped at the chance to move back with her mother.

Only time could tell what was going to happen with John.

John and Eve exited the office and he left her to go to his first period football class. All upperclassmen that played football had it first period if they'd played the year before and planned to play that year, too. He continued to walk until he noticed a blond with Stacy, Candice, and Lilian. At first, he told himself not to believe it. No, there was no way...

But then, he saw her face.

**Cliffhanger! So, this may be my last update for a while. I'm sorry, but you guys know my situation. I know that I'm **_**really**_** focusing on John and Torrie, but like I said before, this is mainly a Jorrie story. But don't worry, the other drama and conflicts within the other couples will be resolved soon. That's a promise, dearies! God, I hope Cena kicks Laurinaitis's ass. That jackass really deserves it!**


	3. Problems

Mickie James, Jeff Hardy, and Maria Kanellis walked to their first period class, drama. Maria and Jeff were very interested in this class, while Mickie was only taking it to be with her best friend and boyfriend. And because she needed an elective credit.

The teacher was Mrs. Mero-Lesnar. She was a very dramatic woman, perfect for the job. She was mother of two and married to a former UFC fighter, now the school's assistant football coach, Brock Lesnar, who was ten years younger than she was. Regardless, he was crazy about her and vice versa.

"Ria, why am I even taking this class?" Mickie asked, opening the door.

Maria giggled, pushing some of her reddish-brown hair behind her ears. "I don't know, Micks. Maybe because you love me."

"And me," Jeff chimed in.

Well, someone certainly loved Jeff. Perhaps it wasn't Mickie, but it _was _a certain bubbly girl.

"And we want to act, right, Jeff?" she asked, patting his arm. Instantly, she pulled away, but the damage was done. The sparks that went up her arm left her reeling. She watched the rainbow-haired boy and Mickie go into the drama classroom and she followed, sighing deeply. Only God knew what would happen next.

...

"All right, maggots, you're either in or you're not! Today, we're just going to run some plays, but you better do the best damn job that you can do! These next few days will determine who's first string, who's second, and who's third!" The football coach, Ric Flair barked at the boys that day.

In total, there were eleven guys from the group going out for the football team: John, Randy, Hunter, Shawn, Punk, Evan, Ted, Cody, Chris, Edge, and Dave. But Mr. Cena, the quarterback of the team, was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Cena?" thundered Mr. Brock Lesnar, the assistant football coach.

The other ten boys exchanged glances. None of them knew.

"Well?" Lesnar asked, again.

Nine faces turned toward Randy Orton, John's best friend.

He shrugged. "The last time I saw him, he was with Eve. I don't know now."

Coach Flair made a face. "He better be here soon, or he can kiss that quarterback slot goodbye."

_Shit_, Randy thought in his head, _John, where the fuck are you?_

...

"Holy shit," John muttered under his breath.

Torrie heard him. She tried to ignore him, but her heart was beating a million miles a minute and she was finding it very hard to breathe.

"Stace, I'll...I'll catch up in a few minutes, okay?" she asked.

Stacy hid a smile. Yes! Her best friend was going to get back together with the love of her life. At least, that's what would happen if Stacy had her way. "Okay, Tor. Don't be tardy, dear."

Torrie faked a smile. "Right."

Candice and Lilian exchanged a small glance as Torrie left them.

...

Miss Joanie Laurer, the new eleventh and twelfth grade English teacher was taking roll. "Candice Beckman?"

"Here," Candice looked up and held up her hand.

"Kelly Blank?" Miss Laurer's eyes scanned her class.

"Here!" Kelly perked up.

"Amy Dumas?"

The redhead raised her hand. "It's Lita."

"Lita," Miss Laurer nodded and scribbled Lita's name down to remind herself, before calling out the next name. "Lilian Garcia?"

"Here."

"Matt Hardy?"

"Present!"

"Stacy Keibler?"

"Here."

"AJ Lee?"

"Yep."

Miss Laurer gave her an evil eye, but continued. "Stephanie McMahon?"

"Here."

Miss Laurer recognized the 'McMahon' last name. "So, you're Mr. McMahon's daughter?"

Stephanie nodded. "Yes, ma'am."

"All right, then. Rosa Mendez?"

"Here," Rosa replied, rather snootily. It annoyed her that so many girls were in this class and not guys. Then again, the football class _was _this period. That made a little sense.

"Eve Torres?"

"Here!" Eve replied.

"And, Torrie Wilson?"

There was no reply.

Miss Laurer looked around. Sure enough, there was an empty seat. "Torrie?"

Still, no reply.

Miss Laurer sighed. "Miss Wilson?"

She decided to take one more chance. "Torrie Anne Wilson?"

The room was still very silent.

"Has anyone seen Torrie?" Miss Laurer asked.

There was a chorus of "no's."

Stacy raised her hand. "She should be here any minute. She's new...she probably just got lost."

Eve threw a glare in Stacy's general direction. "Miss Laurer, Torrie was here freshman and sophomore year. Shouldn't she know where everything is?"

Miss Laurer looked at Eve. "Maybe, but we'll give her a few more minutes. In the meantime, I'm Miss Laurer and I'm going to be your English teacher this year..."

...

Trish, Maryse, Ashley, and Christian all had Algebra II first period. Which honestly, was the worst way, in Ashley's opinion, to start each day. She'd never been very great at math, and the teacher freaked her out. Mark Calloway had been teaching at the school for years. He'd taught her father and her mother and other older people. Only God knew how long he'd been there.

She sat down at her desk beside Maryse, adjusting her lip ring so that it was straight.

Mr. Calloway stood at the front of the room in front of the marker board. "I'm Mr. Calloway and I'll be your Algebra II teacher this year. I'm not going to lie, this is going to be a hard class and it's vital that you take it completely serious. This credit is critical to whether or not you graduate. I expect you all to try your hardest to pass this class and-"

There was a very obvious snicker heard throughout the classroom. Mr. Calloway's dark eyes flashed with anger and he scanned the room, running his fingers through his long, dark hair. "Something funny?"

There was another laugh, but this time, the person was not so smart. Mr. Calloway saw exactly who it was. "What's so hilarious, Mr...," he trailed off, asking for an answer from the blond teenager.

"Christian," Christian replied, holding up two fingers.

"Christian...," Mr. Calloway trailed off, looking for a last name.

"Just Christian," he replied, "only my peeps know my last name.

Trish cringed. Sometimes, her boyfriend could be so obnoxious and ignorant that it pissed her off. It made her wonder if she'd done the right thing by dumping Chris Jericho to begin with.

Mr. Calloway didn't smile. "I don't think anything's funny. If you do, feel free to go visit Mr. Laurinaitis's office."

Christian shut up.

...

John looked up to see the blond girl that he loved so much approaching him. Her soft smile was enough to make his knees buckle.

"Hey, stranger," she said, softly.

He tried with all of his might not to start bawling like a pussy. "Hey." For some strange reason, he could not say her name. It was as if his heart was going to be ground into a powder if he did.

"How've you been?" she asked, doing her best not to gaze into the ocean that was his blue eyes. A girl could definitely get lost in them. A girl like Torrie.

John tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "All right. And you?"

Torrie shrugged. "Same old, same old."

John rubbed the toe of his sneaker on the linoleum flooring. "That's good, I guess. How was Boise?"

Torrie ignored the rapid increase in her heartbeat. "Way too much farm. I missed it here. I missed Stacy and Candice and Lilian and everyone else."

John could only wonder if 'everyone' included him.

"So, did you...are you seeing anyone?" John immediately regretted asking her that, but he really wondered. The constant beat in his chest was getting the best of him.

Torrie frowned, looking down at her feet. "N-no, I'm not."

John brightened up, but only for a second. No matter if she was seeing anyone or not, he was and besides, what had happened in the past was inexcusable.

"Are you?" she asked.

He nodded, almost sadly. "Yeah."

"Do I know her?" she asked, dejected.

He nodded. "Eve."

Torrie raised her eyebrows. "Torres?" _The hoeski? _

"Yeah," he replied.

Torrie never expected John to stoop down that low. Granted, he _was_ a teenage boy with crazy hormones, but still, _Eve Torres_? Had he forgotten that it was _him_ who gave her the 'hoeski' nickname?

Torrie shrugged. "I never expected that, John. Never thought that you'd go to that resort."

John frowned. "It's not any of your concern, anymore, Torrie. You walked out on _me_, remember? Not vice versa. I'm not proud of some of the stuff that I said, but I ain't gonna apologize for dating Eve."

Torrie licked her lips, her emerald green eyes filling with tears. "I never asked you nor expected you, to, John. But I can't move on now. Believe me, I tried. The only problem is that I left my heart here," she grabbed his hand and placed her index finger in his palm.

The two looked into each other's eyes for what seemed like an eternity. In reality, though, it was only a few seconds. Their was a huge spark and passion flying all around the hallway. It was just enough to break Torrie's heart again. She dropped his hand and said, "I've got to get to class."

John swallowed again, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. "Me, too."

Without a goodbye, the two parted ways once again.

...

_Ring! _

It was everyone's favorite part of the day: lunch time.

Stacy, Lilian, Candice, Torrie, Stephanie, Kelly, Maria, Ashley, Trish, Maryse, and Mickie were all in line together. But just because they were all in line together didn't mean that they'd be sitting together. There was way too many people in their group for them to all sit together.

Torrie followed Stacy, Candice, Kelly, Stephanie, and Lilian to their normal table beside the drink machines. Soon, they'd be joined by Randy, Dave, Punk, Hunter, Shawn, and maybe John. Sometimes, John chose to sit with his best friend, Randy, but more often than not, he sat with Eve and her friends.

Maria, Ashley, Lita, Maryse, and Mickie sat at the table in front of Stacy's little group with Jeff, Matt, Edge, Cody, Evan, Ted, and Chris. While Chris and Trish had dated, she sat with them, too. Not just because of Christ, but also because Lita was her best friend. But since she and Chris's breakup, she sat with Christian and his friends.

"You know," Lilian said, opening her bottle of Evian water, "it's a dumb idea to start school on a Friday. I mean, what kind of dumb logic is that?"

"I know!" Stacy agreed, "It's really stupid."

The school was very strict about their start-back date. Each year, it was the twenty-fourth of August, unless it was on a weekend, then it was moved to the twenty-third or twenty-fifth.

Torrie giggled. How she'd missed their meaningless lunch time conversations!

"But," Candice began, "it gives us a great excuse to party. A little back-to-school shebang this Saturday, anyone?"

"Let me guess," Stephanie said, swallowing a bite of her pizza, "your parents are gonna be out of town again."

The table left. Candice's father was a very renowned brain surgeon and often went to benefits for anything brain related, whether it be accidents or even psychological disorders. This gave Candice the house to herself and it was no surprise that she took advantage of that privilege.

"Tsk, tsk," Kelly added.

"We'll be there," Shawn said, setting his tray down beside Lilian.

"Yeah," Hunter agreed, getting between Shawn and Stephanie.

Stephanie tried not to glare at him as she picked pepperoni off of her pizza. Ordinarily, she loved pepperoni, but she needed a distraction.

"Did you guys check out the new English teacher?" Hunter asked as Dave and Randy joined them.

"Hell yeah!" Hunter yelled out, "She was really fucking hot."

Shawn punched Hunter on the arm. "Watch your mouth, there's girls here, too."

Hunter laughed. "They don't mind, right, Steph?"

Stephanie glared ahead and didn't reply.

"Aww, come on, Steph! Don't be like that, I was just-" Hunter stopped, seeing John walk by their table.

Everyone held their breath, watching him walk with Eve to her table, where she sat with Rosa, AJ, Layla, the Bella's, Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, Wade Barrett, Daniel Bryan, and Alberto Del Rio.

He didn't walk off without making an impression, though. He and Torrie shared a lingering glance that could've bore holes in the walls. Luckily, though, he was gone soon and everyone back to chattering.

Everyone, that is, except Torrie.

...

"So," Ashley said, beginning the conversation at the other table, "does anyone really know why Torrie and John broke up?"

Edge shook his head. "Nope."

"Well...," Mickie trailed off.

"What?" Jeff asked, looking at her weirdly.

Mickie stared at her salad. "I don't know much. All I know is that Torrie and John both told someone else."

"Randy and Stacy," the table said in unison.

"Right," Mickie nodded.

"I just don't get it," Chris said, "they were so tight. I thought that nothing could break them up."

"It had to have been something really bad," Maria added.

"But what?" Maryse, one of the newest additions to the group, asked.

Ted shrugged, squeezing his French-Canadian girlfriend's hand. "Maybe it's best that we don't know, babe. Right, Codes?"

Cody Rhodes didn't answer. He was too busy staring at Layla El, as she walked to her table.

Evan sighed. "He's lost in his own thoughts, bro."

Ted laughed. "I know. Poor, desperate dude.

"I'm not desperate!" Cody defended, "I know exactly what we were talking about."

"What did Ted just say, then?" Matt asked.

Cody turned beet red. "Uh..._The Hunger Games_?"

Lita rolled her eyes. "I doubt Ted's even read that."

Ted shrugged. "Reading is for squares. And Cody, we were talking about Torrie and John."

"I knew that!" Cody exclaimed.

"Sure, you did," Jeff laughed.

Everyone else laughed, too. Luckily, Cody was a good sport and was able to laugh along with his friends.

When everyone finally calmed down, Maria said, "Maybe we should switch the conversation to something else. Isn't it kind of cliché to talk about the new girl?"

There was a murmur of responses.

"Ria's right," Mickie replied, "we've got better things to talk about."

Ashley nodded. "Did you see how short Rosa's skirt was?"

...

"This is gonna be an awful year!" AJ Lee exclaimed in agony.

"It won't be too bad," her boyfriend, Daniel Bryan, patted her shoulder.

Rosa snorted. "Now that, 'Whorrie' Wilson's back, AJ's not too far wrong."

John hated Eve's friends. Hated them with a capital H, however, there was no way he was going to sit with his original group of friends. It was colder than the Arctic over there.

Layla stayed silent. She didn't like the conversation that was flying around her. Her friends were acid-tongue spitfires with horrible gossiping problems. But nevertheless, they were still her friends.

Brie Bella held onto Dolph Ziggler, while her twin, Nicki laid her head on Jack Swagger's shoulder. They enjoyed listening to the constant evil banter between their friends. Backstabbing was definitely their forte.

"You know," Eve began, "it only figures that her and Stacy Keibler are best friends. A slut for a slut."

The girls erupted in giggles and so did the guys, all but John, that is. Because, he'd finally had enough.

"Eve, do you even know Torrie?" he asked, harshly.

Eve snorted. "I know she's a hoeski." She looked at her friends and grinned. She knew that John would like that, as it was his word to begin with.

John sighed and ran his hands over his head. "Do you even know where I got that word?"

Eve shook her head. "I'd assume that it's another word for ho."

John nodded. "Right. But I came up with it back in Sophomore year when I was...when I was with Torrie."

Eve laughed again, but this time, her friends didn't. They knew that something was definitely up with John Cena. "For her? I'm sure she fucked everyone else in the school. Isn't that why you two broke up?"

John had a strong urge to punch Eve in the face. He was sick of her. No, he was done with her. He smiled, his dimples showing deeply. "No, it was for you. And I guess it still fits you. You're the hoeski, not Torrie." He stood up and picked up his tray.

The entire cafeteria shifted to John. Even Torrie snuck a peek.

Eve's eyes darted around, nervously. "John, honey," she said through gritted teeth, "what are you doing?"

He guffawed. "What am I doing? I'm breaking up with you. You stupid hoeski! Actually, you know what? You're not a hoeski, you're a bitch! Capital B-I-T-C-H, bitch!" With that, he threw his tray against the wall and stormed out of the cafeteria.

Eve fell to the floor and began to bawl. Well, she tried to, anyhow. The two tables of John's friends exploded with laughter. Hunter and Shawn looked at each other, knowing full well what to do. Hunter banged his huge fist on their table and began shouting, "Hoeski, hoeski!"

Soon, the entire lunch room was chanting 'hoeski.'

And Torrie couldn't help but feel a teensy-weensy bit smug.

** Whew, a long chapter! I really enjoyed writing this, especially the John/Torrie scene. I promise I'm going to start the other couples soon. It's just really hard with so many characters. And yes, I know that I'm really neglecting them, but like I said, it's difficult. I may upload twice today and I know I'll upload Wednesday and that's for real the last upload for a while. i hope you recognized the teachers. But, if you didn't, Mrs. Reno-Lesnar is Sable, Miss jonanie Laurer is Chyna, Mr. Mark Calloway is the Undertaker, and I'm sure most of you know Brock Lesnar and Ric Flair. Ugh, RAW pissed me off! I got to see both of my guys, but Orton got screwed by Jericho. I loved when Cena beat Otunga and when Sheamus came to help him. I'm positive that they could have won that two on three match had it not been for the lumberjacks. I swear, when Big Show punched Cena, I almost started bawling. What's is wrong with that man? I used to love him, but now...I'm not so sure. Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed**


	4. Forgive is a Big a Word

"_Lita!" _

The voice jolted her awake Saturday morning. And though it was just a dream, did not mean that it had never happened. Because it did. And every day of Lita's life, she was wracked with complete and utter guilt.

As Lita lied in bed, the memory came flooding back to her.

"_Lita!" This time, it was Matt Hardy who was calling her name. And she had smiled, pushing a strand of her fiery red hair behind her ear._

"_Hey, Matt," she'd replied. _

_At one of Candice's many parties, she'd had one two many pops of vodka and already, she was drunk. Lita was never one to be a goody-goody, but she wasn't one to get drunk, either. This is what pissed Matt off so badly. _

_He'd frowned and sighed. "You're drunk, Lita."_

"_I am?" she asked. _

"_Yeah," he replied, grabbing her arm, "let's go home!"_

_Lita tugged away. "No!" she protested, "the party just now started!" _

"_And you're leaving," Matt tugged on her arm again, but she flew backward, knocking over a table full of booze in the process. Not only that, but she spilled Jack Daniel's on AJ Lee's 'thousand dollar' dress. _

"_Shut up, Matt!" Lita turned her back and began walking to the hallway toward the bathroom._

_Matt exhaled in annoyance. "Fine! Find your own way home, see how many fucks I give!"_

_She'd laughed. Now, she wasn't laughing about it._

Because that night, she'd made a mistake.

A mistake by the name of Adam Copeland.

And someone knew _all_ about it.

…

"Aw, come on, Steph! It'll be fun!" Kelly Blank coaxed her best friend.

"No, thanks, Kel," Stephanie replied, "I'm not into the drink-until-you-puke and wake-up-with-any-random-loser-thing. But you go right ahead, knock yourself out."

Kelly scoffed, "No, you're going. I think that it's time for you to let loose. Just 'cause your last name is McMahon does not mean that you've got to have a stick up your butt."

Stephanie couldn't help but laugh. "Maybe I _should_ go. Try to keep Punk and Evan's grabby hands off of you."

Kelly scoffed again, "Stephanie! Punk's…not good for me. And Evan's just a friend."

Stephanie snorted. "Kelly, don't be stupid. I know it's hard for you not to be, but _please_. Evan's just friend? Kells, one does not simply drool over someone. And, Punk may not be good for you, but he's also _crazy_ for you. Just accept it."

"Only if you come to the party. I want to watch Hunter flirt with you," Kelly smiled.

Stephanie snorted again. "Hun_ter_? I don't think so, blondie."

"Oh, I think so," Kelly countered, "but you'll come with me?"

"Yeah," Stephanie sighed reluctantly, "but I'm not promising that I'll enjoy myself. Because I won't."

Kelly squealed with delight. "Who gives a shit?"

…

Ted, Maryse, and Cody were all hanging out at Ted's million dollar home. Being that Ted's father was Ted Dibiase _Sr., _they had a rather large house. The Dibiase's were rich. Not the five thousand a week rich, either. They were the fancy party, Armani and Gucci, never-see-one-another rich.

Bruce Wayne rich, anyone?

Of course, the Dibiase family patriarch wasn't a bat-obsessed, tight-wearing man. Pinstripe suits and diamond cufflinks were more his style. However, his son wasn't the same way. Give him jeans and a t-shirt any day. To a point, this upset his father. But honestly, clothing shouldn't make the man. In Mr. Dibiase's opinion, the money made the man.

"Ted, stop!" Maryse giggled, as her boyfriend picked her up over her head and threatened to toss her into the pool. He and Cody had been swimming all morning, while Maryse just tanned. A waste of time, in Cody's eyes.

"You look a little hot!" Ted exclaimed.

"Which kind?" Cody shouted out to his best friend.

"Both," Ted shouted back.

_Splash! _A certain French-Canadian blond was now soaking wet.

Maryse began to sputter in French, checking to make sure that her purple bathing suit was still in place correctly.

Ted and Cody laughed. "Remember what I said, Frenchy!" Ted called out, "I don't speak French, so when you do, I can only assume that you're talking dirty to me!"

Maryse tried to act annoyed and continued to rattle off an insult in French.

Ted continued to laugh, Cody tried, but he couldn't help but feel a bit jealous. Layla was _still _ignoring him. He didn't know his best friend had managed to get a girlfriend. Well, maybe he could. Ted was handsome, smart, athletic, _and_ mega rich. Luckily, though, Maryse was, too. Therefore, it was fairly easy to tell that Maryse wasn't with Ted for his money, unlike his ex-girlfriend, Michelle McCool. There was one thing that she was after.

Can anyone say, 'trust fund?'

…

"Stacy, where are you? And Torrie and Lilian? Don't you guys know that I need you? Seriously, it's only the first day since school started back. Where the fuck is everybody at?" Candice was pacing around her house like a madwoman. All of her 'help' had failed to show up. Stacy was helping Randy with something, Lilian was working on a song with Jeff, and Torrie was…

Where _was_ Torrie? Her three best friends had failed to see her since the day before at school. No doubt, she was upset about John, but it occurred to Candice that regardless of whether or not she was upset, she would have still talked to them. Apparently, she was wrong.

On the other side of the call, Stacy sighed. "Look, Candy, I'll be there as soon as I finish up with Randy, okay?"

Candice clicked her tongue. "What are you doing with him?"

Stacy didn't answer.

Candice tapped her foot. "Well…?" she asked.

"Can't say," she replied.

Candice just about blew a gasket, but held it in, sucking in a _huge_ breath of air. "O_kay_, but you'd better be here soon. I'll come find you, you know."

Stacy sighed again. "I know, Candice. Believe me, I know."

They hung up.

In the next few minutes, Candice began dusting the furniture in the front room and figuring out what snacks to put out. Her final decision was Doritos and chocolate covered peanuts. Oh, and maybe some finger sandwiches. By the way that her friends ate however, the food would all be gone in a matter of minutes.

Finally, the doorbell rang and Candice wiped a bead of sweat off of her brow. "Finally!" she exclaimed.

"I didn't think that you were ever gonna make it, Stace…," she trailed off.

At the door, was not in fact Stacy. It was 'The Animal,' Dave Batista.

"Hey, Candy," he said sheepishly.

For once, Candice was a bit speechless. She'd never expected Dave to help her, nor did she ever picture him getting up before twelve on a Saturday. "Thank God!" she cried out, throwing her arms around his huge body.

Dave smiled. _Thanks Stace_, he thought to myself.

…

There were five people at the Tampa Recording Studio that day: Jeff Hardy, Lilian Garcia, Mickie James, Maria Kanellis, and Chris Jericho. Jeff had invited Chris and Mickie, who had invited Maria. Lilian wanted Stacy, Torrie, and Candice to come see, too, but Stacy was busy with Randy, Candice was busy with the big party that night, and Torrie was completely AWOL.

"What's the song called, Lil?" Maria asked. The musical side of her was getting intrigued. Lilian had a killer voice and Jeff was a terrific songwriter. Actually, if it was art, Jeff was automatically good at it. Maria loved art, too, but in her opinion, paled in comparison to Jeff.

"Need a Little Time," Lilian replied. "It's great."

"I can't wait to hear it!" Mickie exclaimed.

"Me, either!" Maria quickly agreed. She was sure that she'd love anything that Jeff wrote.

Chris was silent, as he was most days. In reality, he was a sad, sad guy. He and Trish's breakup had left him truly reeling.

"Chris?" Mickie nudged him.

"Yeah," he replied, "can't wait."

Mitch, the sound editor, came into the room and sat down. "Are you ready, Lilian?"

"Yep," she replied, "whenever you are, let's go."

Jeff's ears perked up. "Wait a second, Lil!"

The blond Latina's eyes darted to where Jeff sat beside Mickie. "What is it?"

Jeff frowned. He couldn't believe that Lilian had forgotten one of the most important aspects of the song! "Remember what we talked about?"

Instantly, Lilian remembered. "The background singer! Oh my God, Jeff, I'm so sorry! I was gonna have Stacy or Candice or Torrie do it, but Stace and Candy are busy and no one knows where the hell Tor is." Her eyes were pained.

As were Jeff's. It seemed as if all of his hard work was going to go down the toilet.

Mickie, noticing her boyfriend's concern, asked, "can't you do it?"

Jeff smiled wanly. "If only I could, Micks. It's an alto part, not tenor/bass." He kissed her forehead.

Maria looked away, trying not to be _too_ jealous.

Mitch sighed. "I hate to break up this little 'love fest,' but we're kind of in a crisis here."

Chris snapped out of yet another daydream and finally joined the conversation. "Why don't you do it, Mickie?"

Mickie snorted. "Me? I don't think so. I like _country_, not pop. I just ain't got the pop vocals."

This was true. Mickie had moved to Tampa their freshman year from Virginia. Back then, she was a full-blown country girl. Even still, it was hard for her to escape her Southern roots.

Jeff looked pleadingly at Maria. Her heart began to beat uncontrollably in her chest. She took a deep breath. "All right," she replied, "but this is for Lilian."

Everyone laughed as she joined Lilian in the recording room.

Lilian gave her a high five and a lyric sheet. She had three lines throughout the song: 'With you,' 'just you', 'just me,' and then 'just you' again. More or less, she was Lilian's echo.

Lilian began: "_I just need a little space to call my own. Just a corner of the world where I can be alone."_

Maria sang, "_With you."_

Lilian sang, "_What do you do when everybody wants you? How do you breathe when they take you in? Who do you turn to when you need to get away? You're the only one that can get me there."_

Then, came the chorus. "_I just need some satisfaction_," Lilian sang.

Maria sang, "_Just you."_

"_Some private interaction_," was Lilian's next line.

"_Just me_," was Maria's

"_Some animal attraction_," ended the chorus for Lilian.

"_Just you_," ended it for Maria.

Out of nowhere, Chris ran out of the room and slammed the door.

Everyone still left in the room stared at each other, not sure what to do.

Jeff blew out a breath.

Mickie elbowed him in the ribs. "He's _your_ best friend, Jeffy."

Jeff sighed again. "I know," he got up and left the room.

Chris was right outside the door, his back against the wall, and he was trying very hard, it appeared, not to cry. He didn't even see Jeff approach him.

"What's wrong, man?" Jeff asked.

Chris looked up, startled. He sniffed. "Nothing. I'm all right."

"That's bullshit," Jeff said, "now, tell me what's really wrong?"

Chris took a deep breath. "That's what Trish told me."

Jeff stared blankly at him. "What Trish told you?"

Chris nodded. "She said she needed space, a little time…when she broke up with me." He chuckled sadly. "Yeah, she needed a little time with Christian. Lucky bastard."

Jeff frowned sympathetically and patted his friend's shoulder. He had no idea what to say to make it better.

…

Stacy threw two shirts onto Randy's bed. One was long-sleeved, button-up, light blue, and the other was a simple white polo.

This morning, she'd been surprised to get his call. He apparently had to go to a 'fancy lunch' and he wanted her to help dress him for the occasion.

"Pick one of these," she replied, "then we'll find some pants and shoes to match."

Randy looked atthe leggy blond and then at the two shirts on his bed. He bit his lip and thought. "I think I'll wear the polo. I mean, it's gonna be eighty-eight today."

Stacy shook her head. "But, what if you spill something on it?"

Randy couldn't care less about which shirt he was going to wear, honestly. He was okay with pleasing Stacy. "Okay, I'll wear the blue one."

Stacy shook her head again. "What if you start sweating and you get sweat stains under your arms. Yucky." She made a sick face.

Randy exhaled. "The polo, then."

Stacy shook her head again. "But what if-"

Randy cut her off. "I'll just wear the polo. Can we get to pants now?"

Stacy nodded and smiled. "I know just the ones!" She ran to his closet and yanked out some tan dress pants. She threw those to Randy, along with brown dress shoes.

Randy stared at the clothing put before him. That is, until he took notice that Stacy was bent down in his closet, looking for something else, her backside in the air. _Not bad_, he thought to himself, _not bad at all_.

She stood up and dropped a brown leather belt on his bed. "There, that should work." She plopped down on his bed.

He grinned at her. "Thanks so much, Stacy."

She beamed. "You're welcome, Randy. So, tell me. What's this all for?"

"A date," he replied.

Stacy's heart sank. "A-a date?" she asked, on the verge of tears.

Randy nodded, oblivious to Stacy's obvious discomfort. "Yep."

Stacy swallowed, trying to get the lump out of her throat. "Who with? Do I know her?"

"Yeah," he replied, "she goes to school with us. Rosa Mendez."

This was almost an equivalent slap in the face to Stacy. "The _slut of the school_?" She asked, gasping.

Randy gave her a hard look. "That's Eve Torres. Don't you remember what happened yesterday at lunch?"

But Stacy had already slammed the door and wasn't looking back.

Randy began to wrack his brain. "What the hell did I say?"

…

John shoved his hands in his pockets, as he walked around Torrie's old neighborhood. He still couldn't believe that she was back. It was crazy how much he hated her and loved her at the same time. What she'd done…it was inexcusable, but he still couldn't deny the passionate feelings that were jolting back to him.

He didn't know where she was living now, but he did know that Kelly now lived at Torrie's old house. He'd even resented her a little bit when she first arrived on the scene. But now, everything was okay.

Or it had been.

He'd been the undisputed top dog of the school, dated one of the hottest girls, and had dug the football team out of the hole that it had once been in.

But now, Torrie was back, which meant that he'd completely flipped his lid yesterday at school. While she was gone, he could handle the brief gossip about her and why she'd left. But now that she was back, he couldn't sit idly by and allow Eve to just start talking complete shit about her when she didn't need to be talking about promiscuity.

Sighing, he turned his eyes to the left. There, he saw a familiar beat up, white Sedan. It was completely identical to the one that Torrie's mother had owned while they were living there. His heart began to do somersaults in his chest as he looked at the mailbox. 'Wilson,' it read.

Without thinking, he ran up the walk to the front door and knocked. After the subtle shuffle of feet, Lana Wilson answered the door. Her eyes widened at the sight of her daughter's ex-boyfriend.

"J-John?" she asked.

He nodded. "Hey, Mrs. Wilson. Is Torrie home?"

Lana hesitated before replying, "Yes, she's here. But she's been in her room all morning. I don't know if she'll answer her door."

John breathed a sigh of relief. "Can I go see her?"

Lana nodded. "You can try. Third door on the left upstairs."

John darted up the stairs and knocked on Torrie's bedroom door.

"I'm fine, Mom!" Torrie yelled back, "I'm just tired. I'll be down in a few minutes."

John almost laughed. This was typical Torrie. He knocked again.

"I said I'm fine!" Torrie exclaimed.

John knocked one more time.

Torrie sighed. "Fine, I'm coning!" She swung the door open. "What's the big de-" She stopped when she saw who was at her bedroom door. It was not her mother, but John Cena, her ex-boyfriend.

"Hey, Torrie," he smiled, his dimples showing.

That damn smile was enough to make Torrie melt into a puddle. "Hey, John," she replied, her heart pounding like crazy.

"Can I come in?" he asked, his eyes darting to the inside of her room.

Torrie hesitated, but finally said, "Okay."

She moved out of the way so that he could come in. Neither of them knew what they were going to say, but thing was for sure.

Drama was anticipated.

**Hey, y'all! It took a long time, but I updated! Sorry, but I don't have internet! Or a computer for that matter…Okay, so onto comments! If you've got any pairing or****storyline ideas, feel free to let me kn****ow! D****o y'all like Jeff ****w****ith Maia o Mickie better? I can't decide!**


	5. Watch Me Bleed

**Hey, guys! I got a charger for my laptop, so I'll be writing a lot more. Don't now when I'll get to post them, seeing as though I have no internet and my friend's in Mississippi, so I can't use her Mifi. I'm gonna try and talk my parents into getting a USB stick. Maybe it'll be slow, but at least it'll be something! So onto the chapter!**

Torrie eased onto her bed and crossed her legs, not daring to look at John. No, it was too hard, there was too much between them. She stared at her bed, the loud pink and purple striped bedspread making her head spin.

Or was it the bedspread?

John stood against the wall, arms crossed over his chest. He couldn't help but stare at Torrie. After all, she'd been his first love _and_ she'd been gone a long time. In fact, it had barely sunk in that she was back in Tampa. He also couldn't believe that he'd broken up with Eve. Sure, she wasn't the 'queen bee,' so to speak, at school, but she _was_ in Rosa's crowd. Had that even affected his social status to begin with? Ironically, when he was with Torrie, he'd still been popular.

However, something about being captain of the football team had gone to his head. After Torrie left, that is. He'd been so concerned about missing her that his friends were convinced that he lost his mind for a while. What other explanation was there? Why would anyone date Eve to begin with? Not that she wasn't pretty, because she definitely was. And at one time, she and some of Torrie's friends had been friends. But then, she slipped up and messed with the wrong person, thus totally throwing her totally out of the group.

John wasn't the only reason the girls hated Eve.

"Remind me why you're here?" Torrie asked, John, not looking up.

John swallowed and shrugged. "I guess I'm worried about you."

Torrie almost chuckled. "There's no point in you being worried about me. Actually, I should be the one worried about _you_."

John frowned. "Why's that?"

Torrie finally got the nerve to look John in the eyes. That wasn't a very good idea, though. Her heart began to hammer in her chest, just as it always had. "You dated Eve Torres, John. That's not exactly a good thing."

He shrugged. "I dated you, too, didn't I? How is that any different?"

John's words stung at Torrie. She was no saint, not in the least bit, but to be put in the same category as Eve, well, it just hurt her. She did not reply to him.

He regretted saying it to her, but there wasn't much he could do about it now. "Tor-"

"No," Torrie said, holding her hand up, "if that's the way you feel, then fine."

John exhaled and ran his hand over his head. "I never…I didn't mean that."

Torrie nodded haphazardly. "Whatever, John."

John grimaced. Torrie was ever the stubborn one. "I still think about what happened. Every day, actually. And I really think that-"

Torrie didn't want to hear it. "We're not talking about that, John. It happened; it's over, end of story. As far as I'm concerned, it never happened."

"So, I'm just supposed to forget about it? That's rich, Tor!" John's anger was building and Torrie could care less.

She didn't reply.

John chuckled a small, sarcastic chortle. "It _did_ happen, Torrie! If it hadn't have, we'd still be together."

This had never occurred to Torrie before.

"So forgive me if I'm just a little touchy about that subject," John looked at the wall.

Torrie still remained quiet.

Her ex-boyfriend sighed. "You're just gonna shut me out, now? Fine, see if I care." He began making his way to the door. Hand on the knob, he said, "but if it matters at all, I missed you."

John turned the knob and was gone.

Torrie took a huge breath. "I missed you, too," she uttered. She swung her legs off of her bed and walked to her desk where her iPod sat. Scrolling through her music, she found "I Never Told You" by Colbie Calliat. The first words of the song was like a shot to her heart.

_I miss those blue eyes, how you kissed me, and I miss the way we sleep. _

_Like there's no sunrise, like the taste of your smile, I miss the way we breathe. _

_But I never told you what I should have said. _

_No, I never told you, I just held it in. _

_And now, I miss everything about you._

_I can't believe that I still want you after all the things we've been through._

_I miss everything about you, without you, oh._

Torrie reached behind her bed and pulled out something she thought she'd never pull out again. She'd thought that she'd kicked it since Boise. But apparently, she still wasn't strong enough to deal with this pain by herself.

A bottle of tequila.

_I see your blue eyes every time I close mine._

_You make it hard to see where I belong to when I'm not around you._

_It's like I'm not with me. _

_But I never told you what I should have said. _

_No, I never told you, I just held it in. _

_And now, I miss everything about you._

_I can't believe that I still want you after all the things we've been through._

_I miss everything about you, without you, oh._

Torrie took a long swig and closed her eyes.

_But I never told you what I should have said. _

_No, I never told you, I just held it in. _

_And now, I miss everything about you._

_I can't believe that I still want you after all the things we've been through._

_I miss everything about you, without you, oh. No, no, no. _

As the song ended, Torrie could only see John's face behind her closed eyes. The next song was "You and Tequila," by Kenny Chesney and Grace Potter.

_Fair enough,_ Torrie thought to herself, taking another long drink.

John and tequila both made Torrie absolutely crazy.

Old habits die hard.

…

Maria, Mickie, Lilian, Jeff, and Chris stepped up to Candice's house.

"Let me ring it!" Mickie announced, pushing Jeff out of the way.

Her friends laughed.

"Micks, sometimes I question your sanity," Lilian said, shaking her head.

Candice opened the door. The first guests (besides Dave, of course) had arrived. She was clad in a purple tank top, a black and purple skirt and black heels. Her hair was done in neat curls tumbling down her shoulders.

Jeff nudged Chris and whispered, "Bet you ten bucks Dave jumps on her before the night's over."

Chris chuckled. "You're on! Dave's way too shy to even think about it."

Candice noticed the two of them talking. "What are you two whispering about?"

"Uh…" Chris trailed off.

"Well…" Jeff did the same thing.

"They're just being guys," Maria, who had heard every word, chimed in, "don't worry about it, Candy."

Candice eyed Jeff and Chris one more time before letting them into the house.

As expected, everything was perfect. The decorations were in place, the food was ready, and Flo Rida's "Good Feeling" was blasting through her speakers. Immediately, Lilian and Mickie began dancing. Chris, Jeff, and Maria hung back.

"Hey, Ria," Jeff said.

"Yeah?" she asked, tucking a piece of her reddish-brown hair behind her ear.

"Thanks for saving our asses back there. Had it not been for you, Candice woulda killed us," she replied.

"For sure," Chris added.

Maria blushed. She was incredibly shy when it came to Jeff, her best friend's boyfriend.

"Hey, Ria!" Mickie called from the dance floor, "come one!"

Maria took one last longing look at Jeff and yelled, "coming, Mick!"

Jeff and Chris stood in the corner, eating Doritos and chattering aimlessly. Dave made his way over to them with a bottle of Bud Light in his hand.

"Thought Candice didn't want alcohol here," Chris teased.

The Animal shrugged. "I changed her mind."

Jeff and Chris snickered.

"What?" he asked.

"Oh, nothing," Jeff replied.

The three of them tilted their heads toward where Lilian, Mickie, Maria, and Candice were dancing.

Chris wasn't interested in any of them, but he tended to jump on the bandwagon nowadays. Going with the group was now his forte.

Dave couldn't tear his eyes away from Candice. She appeared so happy and bubbly, laughing with her friends. His feelings for her were strong, very, very strong.

Jeff, obviously, was watching his girlfriend, Mickie. She wasn't the best dancer in the world and she knew it. But that didn't stop her from choreographing hilarious moves from out of her head. However, his attention soon turned to Mickie's best friend, Maria, who he'd seen much more of lately. She was a much better dancer than Mickie, and moved much more gracefully, never missing a beat. Despite her happy body language, her face told a different story. She looked sad, dejected, in fact…

RING!

Candice's doorbell rang and Jeff ran to answer it.

At the door were Stephanie McMahon and Kelly Blank. Kelly looked excited; Stephanie on the other hand, did not.

"Hey, Jeffy!" Kelly pulled him into a hug.

"Hey, Kells. Hey, Steph. What's the matter?" Jeff asked, hiding a smile.

Stephanie placed her hands on her hips, shot a glare in Kelly's general direction, and said, "I was brought here against my will." She stalked into the house and left Jeff stunned.

Kelly giggled. "She'll be fine," she assured Jeff. Jeff shrugged and followed her into the house.

Back inside the house, Kelly was shaking it to F.U.N and Janelle Monae's "We Are Young." This was her favorite song, therefore, she was bouncing like crazy with Maria, Mickie, Candice, and Lilian. Stephanie was hanging back, talking to Chris and Dave.

By now, more and more people were arriving. Candice hadn't handed out invitations; she'd handed out flyers. Sure, it was short notice, but everyone who was anyone wanted to go to her parties.

Punk, Adam, Matt, Lita, Evan, Ted, Maryse, and Ashley had all arrived, as had Eve, Rosa, AJ, the Bella's, Layla, Daniel, Dolph, and Jack. Members of Rosa's group hung back, isolating themselves from the others. The members of Rosa's group hung back, isolating themselves from the others.

Candice and her friends weren't exactly happy that the group had arrived, but Candice wasn't going to be rude and tell them to leave. Soon enough, the house would fill up and their presence would become less known.

Michelle McCool, Mike 'The Miz' Mizanin, Kofi Kingston, his best friend, R-Truth, Alicia Fox, Beth Phoenix, Natalya Neidhart, John Morrison, Victoria Varon, and Melina Perez had all also made it to the party.

Dave felt a tap on his shoulder and he turned around to see who was standing behind him. Instantly, he grinned. The pranksters of the group, Hunter and Shawn.

"Hey, guys," Dave said.

"Hiya," Shawn said.

Hunter didn't answer. He was too busy staring at Stephanie. Shawn sighed and nudged his best friend. "Huh?" he asked, his eyes never leaving Stephanie.

"We're talking to Dave, _Paul_," Shawn knew that calling Hunter by his real first name would not only catch his attention, but also piss him off.

Hunter took a deep breath. "Don't. Ever. Call. Me. That. Ever," he said through clenched teeth.

Shawn and Dave both could have laughed. They both knew that Hunter would never hurt 'Shawnie,' as most people called him. But they decided that he was ticked enough as it was.

"Hi, Dave," Hunter said.

"Hey," Dave replied.

"Are you happy now?" Hunter asked Shawn.

Shawn nodded. "Of course. Did I tell you my news, Dave?"

"You figured out what that thing on your leg was?" Dave asked.

Shawn shook his head. "Well, yeah, it was a mole, but that's not what I'm talking about. Rebecca and I broke up."

Dave raised his eyebrows. None of Shawn's friends had so much as talked to Rebecca, and here they were breaking up? "Really now?" he asked, "what for?"

Shawn shrugged, his eyes floating to the dance floor, where people were dancing to "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen.

Dave grinned. "Which one is it?"

Shawn gave Dave a weird look. "It's none of them, man. I…I just like this song. _I just met you! And this is crazy! But here's my number! So call me maybe!_" Shawn began singing and doing disco-inspired moves.

Dave backed away and muttered, "Who _is_ this freak?"

Shawn's dancing evoked many laughs from around the room. "_It's hard to look right at ya baby, but here's my number, so call me maybe! And all the other boys try to chase me, but here's my number, so call me maybe!"_

Luckily, the song was over soon after.

Hunter merely shook his head and continued to watch Stephanie, who was still talking to Chris Jericho about God knew what. Chris, however, was focused completely on Trish and Christian.

And how bad they were hurting him.

**I know a few characters are missing in this chapter, but they'll be the next one. This and the next one were originally going to be one chapter, but it would have been WAY too long. I've decided to name each chapter after a song that inspires me. This one is (obviously) "Watch Me Bleed" by Scary Kids Scaring Kids. I've got some news at the end of the next chapter. Well, maybe it's not news; it's just a short author's note. I hope that you all understood why Torrie got so upset at John. He more or less called her a whore, since he compared her to Eve, who he refers to as a 'hoeski.' I hope you enjoyed! **


	6. Everywhere

"Torrie, as much as I don't want to go to this thing, we've got to. We promised Candice." Stacy Keibler glanced over at her best friend.

Torrie didn't want to go to the party. Not only was she buzzed after her tequila, but she didn't want to run into John again. All it would do was upset her, and she was extremely sick of being upset. "Stace, I don't know. I mean, aren't you mad atRandy?"

Stacy squeezed the steering wheel of her white jeep. She shrugged. "Sure, I am,_ but_ I'm not gonna let it ruin my social life. Just 'cause I'm mad at him doesn't mean I want to forget about all my friends."

Torrie didn't know about that. Stacy was much stronger than she was, ergo she could handle seeing Randy. Seeing Randy didn't make Stacy consume large amounts of tequila like Torrie did when she saw John. She thought about telling Stacy about her habit, but she didn't. Although Stacy was the only person she trusted with her secrets, she couldn't even tell _her_ about the tequila. After all, it was only to numb her pain. And it did.

But never enough to make her forget about John.

"Torrie, I know that you're upset about John and-"

"Stace, shut it!" Torrie interrupted before Stacy could even bring up what had happened between herself and John.

Stacy sighed. "Sorry. I know that it's hard for you to talk about it, but maybe you should. I mean, you can't just keep it bottled up. Are you, me, and John the only ones who know?"

Torrie shrugged, but shook her head, too. "I'm sure he told Randy. There's not much that John doesn't tell Randy."

Although Stacy was depressed about Randy and Rosa, she still felt as though it was her duty to take care of Torrie. She wrapped her best friend in a hug and exhaled. "We're gonna be all right, Tor. Even if Randy and John are being complete assholes, it's going to be okay."

Torrie's mouth formed a line. "You're right, Stace. Let's not disappoint Candy."

Stacy smiled and hugged her one more time. "That's my girl."

…

"How was Rosa?" John asked Randy, later on that night.

Randy shrugged. "I don't know, man. She acted like she was more interested in my dick than me."

John snorted and almost spit out his mouthful of Coors Lite. "And this is a problem, how?"

Randy didn't answer.

A look of knowing passed over John's face. "Ah…I get it. She ain't no good in the sack, is she?"

Randy rolled his eyes. "I didn't screw her, dude. She was…just bad. Like, she ordered a salad and then insisted that the waitress pick out _everything_ but the lettuce. Then, she ordered tea, but then yelled at the waitress that she'd ordered water. I ordered a steak and felt fat."

John grinned. "So she's one-date-girl, then, huh?"

Randy nodded. "Which brings up something I've been meaning to ask you. What was with you Friday? You just snapped on Eve. I've never seen you that way, bro."

John didn't want to say what it was, but he figured that he'd might as well tell Randy. "She was…she was talking shit, that's all I wanna say, aight?"

"Shit about Torrie?" Randy said softly. This was more of a statement than a question.

John nodded sheepishly. "Stupid bitch."

Randy's gaze shifted back to the dance floor. Two new faces had appeared: Stacy and Torrie. John noticed at the same time his best friend did. "Payphone" by Maroon 5 and Wiz Khalifa was bouncing around the room.

_Happily ever after_, John thought to himself. Thanks to the song, it was on his mind. _Right. _He could have laughed. _Like I could be that damn lucky. _

…

Torrie, Stacy, Candice, Mickie, Maria, Lilian, Ashley, and Kelly were dancing together to "Wild Ones." Stacy was hiding her sadness like a pro, but Torrie was not.

"Hey, Torrie," Candice said.

Torrie looked up at her friend. "Hmm?"

"Are you okay? I mean, I heard John 's being a complete douche and you look kinda sad."

Torrie tried to smile. "I'm fine, Candy, thanks. I'm really not upset about John in general. I'm sad about what he's become."

Candice smiled wanly. "Honey, after you left, he changed. And I don't mean for the better."

The two of them were silent for a few moments, lost in their own thoughts.

"This song reminds me of him," Torrie said, sadly.

_Hey, I heard you were a wild one. Ooh. If I took you home, it'd be a home run. Show me how you do. I wanna shut down in the club with you. Hey, I heard you like the wild ones. Ooh._

Torrie sighed before continuing to dance with her friends.

…

Kelly finally managed to get Stephanie out on the floor with her, while they danced to "Payphone." It was a bit by default, because Maroon 5 was one of Stephanie's favorite bands.

"Wanna dance, Kells?" Kelly spun around to see her friend, Evan Bourne standing in front of her, looking shy.

She grinned and said, "Sure."

Evan was very surprised that she said yes. As was someone else in the room.

Someone who didn't like it at all.

Stephanie watched as Kelly and Evan began to sway around. This was more of a slow dance type of song than anything, so she decided to leave the dance floor and take her place back by the snacks. Someone had other plans, though.

"Where you goin,' Steph?"

Stephanie looked up and saw Hunter, 50 percent of DX, one hundred percent bad.

"To get a drink," she replied.

He tilted his head at her. "You've been drinking all night. Don't you think that you should dance just a _little_?"

Stephanie smirked at him. "I _did_ dance a little."

Hunter grinned. She had him there. He _loved_ arguing with her. She really gave him a run for his money. "All right, _darling_. How 'bout this? You dance with me and I won't bother you for the rest of the night."

_Why not?_ Stephanie asked in her head.

Stephanie shrugged. "Sure, but you'll still talk to me. I'll bet you another dance."

Hunter nodded. "You're on. I win, I get another dance. You win and I'll announce to everyone how I feel about you."

Stephanie raised her eyebrows. "How you-"

"Hush," Hunter grabbed her hand and they began to dance.

Who would win the bet? Only time could tell.

…

"Lita, we need to talk."

As she was coming out of the bathroom, Adam stopped her and gave her a grim look. "About what?"

He sighed. "You know what about. These damn letters. I'm trying really hard to have something with Ashley, but I can't until we figure out who's sending them."

"Did you get one yesterday, too?" Lita asked.

Edge nodded. "Yep. 'The school year may be new, but what you two did isn't. I still know, you still know what to do.'"

Lita groaned. "That's the same one I got."

Ever since that night at Candice's party, they'd both shelled out fifty dollars apiece to a hollow tree in the park. It was killing both of their wallets _and _their peace of mind, too. Knowing that someone knew about their dirty little secret was exhausting both of them.

Adam bit his lip. "What do you suggest we do?"

"I don't know, Edge," Lita replied, "I don't know."

…

Michelle McCool and Mike Mizanin watched as Ted and Maryse swayed together to "Broken" by Seether and Amy Lee. Sure, the song was a _bit_ old, but just because a song was old didn't make it bad.

"I miss him," Michelle said, sadly.

Miz chuckled. "You mean you miss his cash?"

Michelle simpered. "I miss him, too. Not as much as his money, of course, but still miss him."

Miz glanced back at the dancing couple. "I'd love to sink my teeth into that French-Canadian babe. Damn, she's fine."

The two stood in silence for a short while, as the song drifted into "Not Over You" by Gavin DeGraw.

"What I'd give to have him back…" Michelle trailed off.

"What I'd give for _her_," Miz chimed in.

A devious smile flashed across Michelle's face. "Then let's make it happen."

Mike didn't know what she was getting at, but whatever it was, it was definitely not going to be good. And he preferred it that way. "Okay."

"Let Operation: Tear Apart Ted and Maryse begin!"

…

Cody's eyes scanned the crowd, looking for Layla, the British beauty who had _definitely _caught his eye in the last couple months. Ever the gorgeous girl that she was, she was sitting alone in the corner, a wine cooler in hand. Evidently, hard liquor wasn't her thing. She was clad in a light blue, knee length dress and silver flats. The fact that she wasn't wearing heels surprised Cody.

He took a deep breath, checked his shirt for crumbs, and made sure his fly was up. As he approached Layla, "Feel So Close" by Calvin Harris was bursting through the speakers.

"Hey, Layla," Cody said.

Layla looked up. She knew him, of course. He was Dusty Rhodes' son. Mr. Rhodes was a plumber, which wasn't exactly every girl's dream. "Cody, isn't it?" she asked.

Cody was getting embarrassed. "Uh…yeah, it's Cody. Cody Rhodes."

She took a sip of her drink and swallowed. "And I'm Layla El. So…what is it that you want?"

Cody took another deep breath. "Well…you're sitting here all by yourself and it's-it's a party," Cody was stammering every word. Never in his life had he ever been this nervous. "Would…do you wanna dance?"

Layla thought for a moment. Cody was very, very cute, yes. However, he was a bit of a dork, in Rosa's opinion. And besides, her group and his group didn't exactly get along. Rosa and Eve would definitely disapprove. "No, thanks," she replied, "I don't really feel like dancing." She smiled, a twinge of bitchiness within the sweetness.

Cody sighed. "All right, then."

Dejected, he turned away and went to find some of his friends. Ted, of course, was dancing with Maryse, Evan was with Kelly, Chris was dancing in a group with Candice, Dave, Maria, Mickie, and Jeff. Randy and John were talking in the corner, in what looked to be a serious conversation. Cody definitely need serious.

"Yo, Rhodes!"

Cody turned around to see Zack Ryder a questionable, but nice blond guy, who had a very unfamiliar face with him.

"Hey, Zack," Cody tried to smile. Layla's rejection hadn't exactly put him in the best mood. "Who's your friend?"

Zack grinned. "This is Santino Marella. He's a foreign exchange student from Italy and he's staying with my family."

"Awesome!" Cody exclaimed, "So when do you start school?"

"Hopefully Monday," Santino replied, grinning, "I plan on joining the band. I love the trombone." Santino used his arms to form a trombone.

Cody and Zack laughed. Santino was definitely a character.

…

Stacy was finally forced to tear herself away from Torrie. The bathroom was definitely calling her name. Stacy washed her hands and exited the bathroom. After leaving the bathroom, she decided to go get a drink. Non-alcoholic, of course. Stacy really wasn't into booze.

"Hey, Stace."

Stacy looked up and saw her friend, John Cena. She smiled and said, "hey, John." She reached over for a can of Dr. Pepper and popped it open. She shifted her gaze back to John. "What's up?"

John didn't answer; he just looked at the floor.

"Torrie?" Stacy offered.

He nodded sadly. "Yeah…does she hate me?"

Stacy smiled and shook her head no. "No, quite the opposite, actually."

A wave of confusion flashed across John's face. "She doesn't hate me?"

"Of course not," Stacy replied, "John, she's just hurt. Look, I know what happened between you two really hurt. But, you guys are just gonna have to work through it. Neither of you can keep going like this."

"I know," John replied, "I'm trying so hard, but all she does is just shut me out. I don't know what to do, Stace. It's like she can't stand the sight of me."

Stacy shook her head. "It's only because she loves you so much, John. I promise."

The word 'love' stiffened John. "She…she loves me? Stace, are you sure?"

Stacy nodded. "I know she does. What happened really screwed with her head. I know it did yours, too. Listen, I didn't tell you anything, okay? I don't want Torrie to kill me."

John decided to change the subject. "Randy told me that he and Rosa went out. You doing okay?"

Like most of their friends, John knew that Stacy had a huge crush on Randy.

Stacy had tried to forget about that, but John had brought it up again. She knew that he meant well, but thinking about Randy really upset her. "I'm fine," she replied, "I've been better. I just wish that he hadn't asked me to come over and help him get ready. That just-"

"He asked you to help him get ready? For a date with _Rosa?_" John was getting angry. Not lately, but before, he'd put John through all sorts of shit about Torrie and here he was torturing Stacy. This was _not_ going to cut it.

"Yeah, but-"

John turned around to find Randy.

…

Torrie sat by herself beside the snacks. Well, she wasn't by herself, but she might as well have been. No one was talking to her and she was twirling her shot of tequila. She was waiting impatiently for Stacy to return.

She watched as Randy went over to the snack table. He picked up a sandwich and took a big bite of it. She couldn't help but laugh at her friend.

"Hungry, Randy?" she asked, suppressing a giggle.

He nodded and swallowed, walking over to join her. "Sure am. What's up?"

She shrugged. "Waiting for Stacy to come back. You?"

He nodded. "Waiting for John to come back." He sat down beside her.

The mention of John's name made Torrie's heart break a little more. It's much easier to miss someone when you're not close to them. Torrie shifted her gaze to the drinks, where she spotted her best friend…and her ex-boyfriend talking. They both looked upset, perhaps for different reasons, perhaps not.

Randy noticed, too. He knew that John was torn up about Torrie, but he _still _didn't know what was wrong with Stacy. He hadn't spoken to her since that morning when she'd gotten so pissed at him. He had no clue what was wrong with her, either. "Any idea what's wrong with Stace?"

Torrie looked up at him. "Are you being serious?"

Randy shot her a confused look. "Yeah, I'm being for real. What's with her?"

Torrie sighed. "Randy, you asked her to come to your house to help her impress _another _girl."

He nodded. "Yeah, we're really good friends so I asked her for help. Is that a big deal?"

Torrie sighed again and put her face in her hands. "Yeah, it's a big deal!"

"How?" Randy was still _very_ confused.

Torrie didn't reply. She didn't want to tell Randy that Stacy liked him, but there wasn't much else she could do. Randy was definitely confused. Curious, too, so there was only one solution. "Stacy likes you," she said softly.

Randy was stunned. He honestly had never expected that, mostly because he and Stacy had been really good friends for years.

The next few moments were hauntingly silent. Torrie didn't want to say anything until Randy did, and Randy was too shocked to even begin to start speaking.

Finally, Randy collected himself enough to say, "You're positive of this?"

Torrie nodded. "We all are."

Randy shook his head. "No way, I mean, how could you possibly know this?"

"It's obvious," Torrie replied, "and she told me so."

Randy closed his eyes. He didn't know the appropriate way to respond to what Torrie was saying to him. "Okay…"

"Okay…what?" Torrie asked.

"Okay, distract me," Randy said, "how…how are things with John?"

Torrie took a deep breath. "Randy, we broke up two years ago, remember?"

Randy nodded and repeated what John had told him years before. _Why he and Torrie broke up in the first place. _

"Shh!" Torrie snapped, clapping her hand over his mouth. "Shut up! We don't talk about that, remember?"

Randy snapped out of his haze. "Oh yeah, sorry Tor."

"And John came over to my house this morning. He compared me to Eve. I guess now I'm a whore," Torrie looked at her feet.

Randy could've sworn that he was on the verge of heart palpitations. Not only had he just found out that Stacy had a thing for him, but also that John had more or less called Torrie a slut. "Really now?"

"Yeah," Torrie said, sadly, "but I kind of deserved it, so-

But Randy had already spun on his heels. He was on hot pursuit of ironically, his best friend.

…

Edge, Ashley, Lita, and Matt stood in a group, watching everyone dance, especially Shawn, Hunter, and Stephanie.

"Chris and Jeff should have made a bet on whether or not Steph and Hunter would've danced. I still don't think that Dave's gonna jump on Candice," Matt told Adam, laughing.

"Yeah," Edge agreed, "typical badass thing. Steph's got a temper that you could compare to 'roid rage and Hunter just likes pushing people's buttons. That should be great."

As Matt and Adam continued their Stephanie/Hunter debate, Ashley and Lita watched Chris watch Trish and Christian. "I just feel so bad for him," Ashley told Lita sadly.

"Mmm-hmm," Lita concurred, "Trish just dropped him. I mean, she kinda dropped all of us. She and I used to be best friends and now, she's just hanging around Christian. That's all she does now."

"Him?" Ashley asked.

The two girls giggled. Trish was their friend, of course, but the fact that she'd dropped them for Christian really pissed them off. They longed for the day that Trish dumped him, but that day looked very far away.

"Hey!" they heard Adam yell.

They looked up and saw Edge and Matt looking very concerned. "What's going on?" Lita asked.

"Randy and John…," Matt trailed off.

**So, this chapter was a little uneventful. I tried to put all the characters in, despite the boring parts. Sorry about that. Oh, and by the way, Matt (Dashings Destiny) sorry that I've made Layla such a bitch, but that's kind of been the plan from the start. Don't worry, she's going to get better. The next chapter will be really heated! I hope you all enjoy this one and the next one, too. This chapter is named after "Everywhere by Michelle Branch. I LOVE that song. And by the way, if you sensed any John/Stacy and Torrie/Randy vibes, get them out of your system. That IS NOT going to happen. It will never happen in any of my stories. Those are my two LEAST favorite pairings. I mean, it's fine if you like them, but I just don't. Actually, I can't stand them together. For all you Torrie fans, I'm sorry that I've made her a HUGE sap, but that's kind of the idea, it's not like I'm doing it accidentally. Everything that's happening is totally planned. **


	7. Standing Outside the Fire

John was looking for Randy. Randy was looking for John. They were both angry, but really not in their normal state of minds, either. John was upset about Torrie and the fact that Randy used Stacy, despite his ignorance about her feelings for him. Randy was pissed that John had basically called Torrie a whore and that he had only just found out that Stacy liked him.

"What the fuck's your problem, man?" John asked, approaching Randy.

"I don't know," Randy shot back, "what's your problem?"

John glowered at his best friend. "My problem is that you led Stacy the fuck on!"

Anger was beginning to blow up inside of Randy. "My problem is that you called Torrie a whore!"

"Me and Torrie ain't none of your business, aight?"John yelled at Randy.

"Me and Stacy ain't any of yours!" Randy yelled.

Stacy and Torrie, who had joined each other only a few minutes ago, were watching this go down. They'd both seen this type of anger in the guys before. Usually, they were on the same side.

But not this time.

"Shit, Stace!" Torrie yelled, "what the hell's going on?"

"I don't know!" Stacy yelled back.

The best friends ran over to where the guys were fighting. "Stop it!" Stacy yelled, trying to get their attention.

The two of them were way too angry to pay attention.

"Why don't you just stay the hell out of my business?" Randy screamed at John.

"And why don't you just stay out of mine?" John shot back.

Randy didn't answer. Instead, he squeezed his fingers into a fist, swung his arm back and punched John square in the jaw. Hard.

Torrie, Stacy, and everyone else in the room gasped. Everything was happening too fast for anyone to react properly. Most of them were frozen in shock.

John snarled at Randy, almost animal-like. He couldn't believe that his best friend had hit him. "You stupid son of a bitch!"

Torrie knew that John was about to freak out on Randy, and she was right.

John jumped forward and started to assault Randy's face with lefts and right hands. Randy threw John off of him and jumped on him. He threw more punches and kicked him over and over in the stomach. John groaned with frustration and punched Randy in the gut.

"John, stop it!" Torrie cried, "Leave Randy alone!"

"Stay out of this, Torrie!" John yelled back at her, punching Randy again.

Stacy looked around the room, anxiously. Suddenly, she spotted Dave. "Dave, do something!"

Dave glanced at Stacy before dashing to where Randy and John were fighting like crazy.

"Hunter!" Torrie pleaded to her friend.

Hunter nodded, leaving Stephanie's side and ran over, following Dave. He pulled John off of Randy and Dave yanked Randy away.

"Stay out of this, man!" John yelled Hunter, "this ain't got nothing to do with you!" He wrangled around, trying to get away from Hunter.

"Batista, get off me!" Randy yelled at Dave. The big guy was very strong, but so was Randy. Because of that, he managed to get away and jump on John again. More punches started flying and then, blood shot across the room. No one knew where it came from, but Dave, Hunter, Shawn, Adam, Matt, Jeff, Ted, _and_ Punk _all_ ran over to hold the guys back.

By now, Torrie and Stacy were both crying. Not only had Randy and John _both_ gotten their asses handed to them by each other, but also because this fight between best friends was at their fault. If they had just kept their mouths shut, John and Randy would still be in one piece.

Even so, everything that they'd told was purely out of frustrating emotion. They were both incredibly depressed about two of the guys in there life. Hurt was an understatement and though Randy and John hadn't exactly meant to, they'd made it worse by fighting.

They watched as Dave, Adam, Matt, and Ted pulled Randy outside and Hunter, Shawn, Jeff, and Punk yank John toward the corner of the room. John's lip was busted, which explained where the blood came from.

.[;0Whether or not they should talk to the guys or not was passing through their heads.

Torrie swallowed hard. "What do we do now?"

Stacy shrugged, another flood of tears pouring down her cheeks. She was tired of being strong, so very tired of it. Randy had gotten hurt, at her fault nonetheless. Torrie was a complete mess, and she'd basically caused the fight between John and Randy. Of course, what she didn't know was that Torrie had a part in it, too. Actually, it was all four of their fault.

"Let's go home, Tor," Stacy whispered.

Torrie nodded, realizing that for the first time in a while, she had to be the strong one. "Okay, let's go. Want me to drive?"

Stacy nodded her head yes.

Torrie formed her mouth into a line and wrapped her best friend in a bear hug, feeling Stacy's body relax in the slightest bit. When Stacy contained herself enough to pull away, she said, "It's been so bad around here without my best friend."

Torrie smiled. "I missed you, too, Stace. So very much."

Obviously, life was sucking for them at the moment, but they had each other. And friendship conquered a lot.

"Hey, are you guys okay?"

The two blonds looked up, to see four of their really good friends: Candice, Lilian, Mickie, and Maria.

Stacy shrugged. "Been a lot better, Micks."

"Sorry about your party, Candy," Torrie said, hugging Candice, "I kind of ruined it."

"No, no," Candice replied, "it'll be fine. See, there are already people dancing again. Sure enough, a majority of the party-goers were already jumping around to Adele's "Rumour Has It."

Stacy shot Torrie a confused look. "This is your fault, Torrie? How?"

Torrie looked at her feet. "I told Randy that John compared me to Eve."

Stacy sighed. "Well, I told John that Randy used me to get good with Rosa. And that you still love him…," she trailed off.

Torrie's jaw dropped and she didn't reply. Her eyes widened, however and she stared atStacy in shock.

"Please don't be mad, Tor," Stacy pleaded, "I…I didn't mean to, I was just upset about Randy and I know how much John upset _you_, so-"

Torrie smiled wanly. "It's fine, Stacy. I…I told Randy that you like him," she paused, waiting for Stacy's reaction. When Stacy didn't freak out, she went on. "He asked me what was wrong with you, so I told him. I knew how much he hurt you with that little stunt, and I was so pissed at John, so I wasn't thinking clearly."

Stacy nodded. "It's okay. Let's just go home."

They said goodbye to their friends and did just that.

…

Mickie and Maria watched Stacy and Torrie leave and Candice and Lilian head back to the dance floor.

"Mick, you think they're gonna be all right?" Maria asked her.

Mickie nodded yes. "I think so. I'd be upset if Jeff got into a fight, though."

Maria nodded silently.

As if on cue, the two girls looked up and saw Jeff walking up to them. "You guys okay?"

"Yeah," they answered in unison.

"We're fine, Jeff. Although, I don't think Torrie and Stacy are," Mickie added.

He took a deep breath. "I'm glad. That was…," he trailed off.

"Intense?" Maria offered.

"Yeah," he agreed, "very intense."

The three stood in silence before Mickie said, "I'm…I'm kinda ready to go. What about you guys?"

Maria nodded. "I've had enough excitement for one night."

Jeff leaned forward and kissed Mickie's lips softly. "Okay, I'll drive you both home."

"Thanks," Maria replied, trying hard not to let the tears forming from behind her eyes fall.

Jeff and Mickie didn't notice. "You're welcome," Jeff replied.

Jeff was totally oblivious to how much Mickie loved him…

…

"All right, Steph," Hunter announced, "I think you owe me another dance."

Realization hit Stephanie at that moment. Since their dance, Hunter _had _left her alone. But then, it was probably because of John and Randy's fight. "Hunter, it's because you were distracted. I mean, it doesn't count."

Hunter smirked. "Doesn't matter, sweetheart. I left you alone, therefore, you owe me another dance."

Stephanie almost smiled. "I'm sure you don't want to dance to "Boyfriend," though."

Hunter shrugged as the last line of the song played and Daughtry's "September" began to start pounding through the speakers. "We can dance to this. Come on."

Stephanie took a deep breath before taking Hunter's hand and letting him lead her to the dance floor.

Hunter was surprisingly good dancer. He led with pride and didn't trip over Stephanie's feet.

"I'm worried about Torrie and Stacy," Stephanie said, thinking out loud.

Hunter looked down at her. It was hard to believe that she was opening up to him at all. "Don't worry," he comforted, "they'll be fine. I'm sure John and Randy will be, too."

Stephanie swallowed, locking eyes with Hunter. She was feeling something that she hadn't felt in a long time.

Pure attraction.

…

Kelly, Evan, Mickie, and Jeff were all on the dance floor, dancing around to Nicki Minaj's "Starships." Kelly and Mickie were screaming the lyrics over and over again, mainly to get their minds off of what had just happened.

"_Starships were meant to fly!" _Mickie yelled, jumping into Jeff's arms.

"_Hands up and touch the sky!"_ Kelly did the same to Evan. Truthfully, they'd both drunk too much Patron.

Candice liked variety, therefore, she had all sorts of alcoholic drinks at her house. No one knew exactly how she managed to get a hold of it, but none of her party guests really cared. All that they cared was they got some of it.

Jeff laughed. "Mick, are you all right?"

Mickie nodded. "Just fine, honey!" With that, she gave him a huge kiss smack dab on his mouth.

He laughed again. "Someone's had a little too much to drink, huh?"

She shook her head. "No, but let's go out of here," she flashed him a sexy smile.

Jeff considered it. Sure, she was drunk, _but_ she wouldn't consider it taking advantage of her. "Okay," he replied, "don't have to ask me twice."

Kelly and Evan watched as Jeff and Mickie ran off. "Glad someone's having fun," Evan said.

"What do you mean?" Kelly asked him.

"I mean, I don't see how many people are still enjoying themselves. I can't get what happened out of my head," he gave Kelly a look.

Kelly nodded in agreement. "It was pretty awful, but there's not really anything we can do about it. It doesn't even really concern us."

Evan shrugged his shoulders. "I still worry about it. Look, I'm gonna go get something to drink. Want anything?"

She nodded. "Water?"

Evan smiled. "Good. All right, be back in a second."

Kelly turned to her left and noticed CM Punk approaching her. "Hey, Punk," she greeted.

He smiled. "Hey, Kel. I've been trying to talk to you all night, but, you know."

She nodded. "Yeah, I've been hanging out with Evan and then, John and Randy got into that huge fight…," she trailed off.

He laughed. "Remind me to never get in between those two without backup. So, what was all that shit about Torrie and Stacy?"

Kelly shrugged. "You probably know more than me. You know, I just met Torrie. And Stacy and I aren't really close, either. I like her, though."

"I guess so," Punk replied, "Torrie's was always real sweet, so I can't see how all of this was her fault."

"Did John leave?" Kelly asked.

Punk nodded. "Matt and Adam took him home after they helped the other guys get Randy into Ted's car."

"Torrie and Stacy left, too. Guess it was too much for them to handle," Kelly added, sadly.

They remained silent for a few more moments before Punk said, "So, Kelly, there's something I've been meaning to ask you-"

He didn't get to finish, though. Evan came back to join Kelly, with two drinks.

"Water, just like you requested," Evan smiled and handed the water to Kelly.

Punk blew out a breath. "Thanks, man."

Evan shot him a confused look. "What is it?"

Punk shrugged. "Oh, nothing. Talk to you later, Kelly."

She waved. "Bye, Punk!"

Evan took a swig of his coke. "What was that about?"

"I don't know," Kelly replied, "we talked about the fight and then he said he wanted to ask me something, but he didn't ask it. Oh well."

Kelly seemed not to worry about what Punk was going to ask her, but Evan did.

CM Punk could only mean competition.

…

Eve Torres was smiling to herself. Thanks to Randy Orton, she had heard the greatest news in a long time. _She_ knew what had broken up Torrie and John. She definitely planned on using that to her advantage, too.

Evil. Scheming. Jealous. Only three words that could describe the vixen that was Eve Torres.

**Well, another chapter complete! I apologize if it's confusing. I'm having a bit of trouble keeping up with all of the characters and story lines. I'm sorry about all the John/Torrie and Randy/Stacy stuff, but in my defense, they **_**are**_** the main characters. I promise that in the next few chapters, I'll try to shift my focus a little. Oh, and if you're wondering about John and Torrie's little secret, well, it's gonna be revealed very, very soon. Maybe even the next chapter, who knows! The chapter is named after "Standing Outside the Fire" by Garth Brooks. The song doesn't really fit, but the name of the song does, lol. If you've got any song suggestions, please tell me in a review or PM. Do you guys like all of the fighting? I think it kind of adds to the drama. I'm considering putting another fight in the next chapter or so. And before you say that that many fights don't happen in high school, you're wrong. There were five fights at my school in the first MONTH of school this last school year. Then again, I do go to a school full of hotheads. I guess that's the price of living in Arkansas. **

**Here's a little preview: the drama is far from over for Torrie, Candice's parents have some bad news, Mickie misinterprets something Maria tells her, Trish discovers something shocking about Christian, Edge and Ashley try to get serious, Hunter gets a new love interest (and she's **_**not**_** Stephanie!) and a lot of other stuff. And who in the world is Shawnie crushing on? **

**Thanks for reading, everyone!**


	8. Oh Well, Oh Well

**Hola, again! As I said before, I don't know when I'll be posting again, but I'm still writing. I'm gonna try and post at least once a week. So, at least each day I update, you'll have multiple chapters to read. Before I get to the chapter, I just wanna ask if anyone has any clue what's going on with AJ. I actually halfway like her now, but I don't understand why she kissed Kane. I remember a while back, another diva kissed him. She was blond, I know. I can't remember if it was Trish or Sable or someone else, though. I know it wasn't Sable. Any comments on AJ? Oh, and the 100****th**** episode of RAW's gonna have lots of appearances by former superstars. I'm really hoping and praying that Torrie will be there. That'd be the best thing ever! Then maybe a segment or two…or ten with a certain Mr. John Cena. Y'all would be hearing about it for months, maybe even years. **

The fight between Randy and John was all anyone could talk about Monday morning. Whether they believed that John or Randy was wrong or right, they were talking about it. Not only that, but Eve was also prancing around the lobby like a fairy. It was definitely getting on everyone's nerves, especially Maria, who had arrived to school early that day. She'd had to ask the music teacher, Mrs. Teri Runnels, about the next assignment they had. Currently, they were learning terminology, but there would be more interesting assignments in the future.

Some might say that Maria was overdoing. Not only was she taking music, but also drama and art. However, each person got three electives and she had a thing for art.

She also had a thing for Jeff.

Jeff was really artsy, perhaps the best painter Maria had ever seen. Not only that, but he was a wicked guitar player and singer, and he could perform any monologue from any play, movie, or written work flawlessly. Indeed, he was gifted.

"Hey, Ria!"

Maria looked up and saw Mickie standing before her. She smiled at her best friend and said, "Good morning, Micks! Happy second day of school."

Mickie groaned. "That's right, we're at school. I completely forgot. What would I do without you, Ria?

Maria shrugged. "Haven't got a clue, sweetie."

Mickie sat down beside Maria and said, "Heard any good scandals lately?"

Maria laughed. Mickie always asked her that, because she knew how much gossip annoyed Maria. "None besides that big fight between John and Randy, sorry Mick."

Mickie shrugged. "Oh well. I guess that's enough for me. John got his nose busted and Randy's got two major shiners."

"He does?" Maria asked, she was really shocked. She knew about John's busted lip, but she didn't know about Randy's black eyes.

Mickie nodded. "John's got some powerful fists. 'Specially when he's mad."

"Hello, chicklets!"

Both girls smiled, seeing Jeff, Matt, and Lita walk up to them. They greeted them cheerfully.

While they waited for school to start, they were soon joined by Chris, Edge, Ashley, Hunter, Shawn, Stephanie, Kelly, Evan, Ted, Cody, Maryse, Punk, Candice, Dave, Stacy, and Torrie. Surprisingly enough, Stacy and Torrie came to school. Maria and Mickie figured that they wouldn't, considering the incident that had gone down at Candice's party.

But what surprised everyone the most was that Randy and John arrived together. They'd walked up to their friends smiling and laughing playfully. Everyone stared, mouths gaping open, but completely silent.

John and Randy noticed. "What's the matter?" John asked, "y'all seen a ghost?"

Hunter, being the outgoing guy that he was, spoke to them first. "Not to bring this up, but you guys just fought. Randy, you've got a couple shiners, and John, you're lip's all busted open. Forgive us for being a little surprised."

Randy and John both smiled. "We worked it out," Randy replied.

Torrie and Stacy exchanged glances. Granted, they were relieved that John and Randy weren't still trying to tear each other's heads off, but it was odd that they'd gotten over it so fast.

"Really?" Shawn stepped forward and asked, "When?"

"Yesterday," John replied, "I called Randy and apologized, we got a pizza, we talked it over, and now we're fine."

"Everything's fine," Randy chimed in, "but we did decide something."

"What's that?" Dave asked.

John took a deep breath and Randy glanced at him nervously. "We owe some people an apology."

Everyone shifted their gaze to Torrie and Stacy. They exchanged glances and flushed red with embarrassment.

Randy went first. He looked Stacy right in the eyes and said, "Stace, I'm sorry about Rosa and not acknowledging your feelings. I was seriously wrong. And I'm sorry us fighting on account of you and Torrie. I know it affected you as much as anybody else."

Stacy stayed silent, probably because John started talking to Torrie right after Randy finished.

Torrie and John definitely weren't on the best of terms, therefore, John really didn't know how to start the apology. "I'm sorry, too," he started.

He and Torrie locked eyes, resulting in both of their hearts pounding. "I should have never, ever even thought about comparing you to Eve."

"John-" Torrie went to say.

He didn't let her finish. "No, no," he interrupted, "I was way out of line. And besides, I haven't been very nice to you since you got back. I'm sorry about that, too. I'm also sorry that I fought Randy yesterday. Like he said, it affected you and Stace, too."

Torrie couldn't but curl the corner of her lips up into a smile. "Thanks, John. I really appreciate that. I haven't been the greatest person to you lately, either and I'm sorry."

They smiled at one another, as did Randy and Stacy. There was only one thing that Stacy could say and that was, "thank you."

Suddenly, the bell rang and the group of friends headed to class. One thing that was odd, however, was that Eve, Rosa, and the Bella's were hanging around in the hallway in front of the office.

"Hey, Torrie!" Eve called out.

Torrie stopped and shot Eve a confused look.

Eve waved her had, signaling for Torrie to come over to her. Torrie shared a glance with Stacy. She wasn't sure what to do. She didn't like Eve at all, but there had to be a reason why she wanted to talk to her, too. Stacy nodded and followed Torrie over to Eve.

"So," Eve began, "how's it feel to be back?"

Torrie was still really confused. "Well…it's all right, I guess."

Eve frowned. "Think you and John will get back together?"

"No," Torrie replied, "do you think _you_ and John will?" she asked rather bitchily.

Eve smirked. "Maybe so. If he gets back with me, he doesn't have to worry about baby mama drama."

Torrie froze. Stacy froze. All of their friends that were behind them froze.

"Oh, that's right," Eve said, "there _is _no baby. Someone had an abortion, know who it was, Torrie?"

"Fuck off, Eve," Stacy warned.

"Why don't you fuck off?" Rosa asked, "How is this your business anyway?"

Stacy stepped forward. "Because Torrie's my best friend, that's how. How's this your business? Eve's not your friend, she's just one of your minions."

Torrie stepped closer to Eve. "I didn't have an abortion," she said through gritted teeth.

Eve simpered wickedly. "Oh, really? Then where's the baby?"

Torrie felt tears prick to her eyes. She'd never wanted _anyone_ to find out. Now, the whole school was going to know. _And _they were going to assume that she'd had an abortion and she really and truly hadn't. "I had a miscarriage, okay? Are you happy now?"

John stepped through the crowd and joined Torrie, Stacy, Rosa, and Eve. "Eve, what the hell's wrong with you? Why would you tell everyone that?"

Eve shrugged. "I guess I wanted everyone to know what a little slut little Miss Torrie Wilson is. Yeah, I get called 'hoeski,' but at least I didn't get pregnant!"

Torrie didn't want to cry. She wanted to melt into a puddle or crawl under a rock. Humiliation was an understatement.

Eve went to say something else, but the principal, Mr. John Laurinaitis came out of the office and said, "What's going on here?"

Everyone was silent.

"Get to class!" he barked in his unmistakable voice.

Most of the kids atthe school absolutely hated him and missed their old principal, Mr. Theodore Long. Sure, he was a bit rough on some things, but he was generally understanding and he was genuinely kind. After some sort of misunderstanding with Mr. McMahon, the superintendent, Teddy Long was fired and the assistant principal, Mr. Laurinaitis, was hired.

Eve smiled wickedly one more time at Torrie and said, "ta, ta, sweetie!"

Before Torrie could stop them, tears started to flood down her cheeks and a sob escaped from her lips.

Stacy grabbed her hand and started leading her to the bathroom, with _all _of her girlfriends trailing behind.

Lita grabbed some toilet paper from the stall and handed to Torrie, who dabbed her eyes with it.

"I didn't even have an abortion!" she wailed.

Candice was thinking. "How did she even find out? I mean, weren't you and John the only ones who knew about it?"

Stacy shook her head. "Randy and I knew about it."

"That still doesn't explain why _or how_ it happened," Lilian chimed in.

"The party," Torrie said softly.

"What?" Ashley and Kelly asked in unison.

Torrie swallowed. "Randy and I talked about it a little." Technically, this was a lie. Yes, Randy had brought it up, but Torrie had shushed him.

"Eve's such a stupid bitch!" Stephanie said, exasperated. To say she and Eve had history was a definite understatement. Actually, the sight of Eve made Stephanie want to vomit.

"Agreed," Mickie said.

"What did she mean by abortion, though, Tor?" Trish asked. Despite her friends' feelings for her lately, it didn't mean that she didn't care about them.

Torrie swallowed hard. "I haven't got a clue. I didn't even have one! I for real had a miscarriage."

"How?" Maria asked.

Torrie shrugged. "I got sick for a while. The doctor just said that body was too worn out at the time. He said that stress was the key factor."

Her friends all exchanged glances. Stress could only mean one thing: John Cena.

"But you _can_ have babies in the future, right?" Ashley asked.

Torrie nodded. "As far as I know." She wiped her eyes again. "You guys should probably get to class before the other bell rings. I'll be fine, I promise."

They looked at each other hesitantly.

Torrie forced a smile. "Come on, I'll go, too."

"Are you sure, Tor?" Stacy asked.

"Positive," Torrie replied.

"Hold on," Candice said.

"What?" Kelly asked.

Candice smiled. "Group hug!"

Everyone wrapped their arms around each other, with Torrie in the middle.

Sometimes it paid to have great friends.

**A bit of a cliffhanger, huh? But at least you guys know what Torrie and John's dirty little secret was. Surprised? Let me know in a review. I've decided to stop apologizing for revolving the story around Jorrie. They're just my thing. Like seriously, my dog had puppies this morning and I'm thinking about naming one of them, Jorrie, lol. I'm not** **too sure if I wrote this chapter very well, but okay. I hope you all like it. I named it after Mayday Parade's "Oh Well, Oh Well." That's a nod to two of my best friends, Lori and Haley, who love them. I also hope that you guys don't find Randy and John's apologies dumb. It makes sense to me because ALL of the guys that I know that have ever fought with their friends have gotten over their in like, ten minutes give or take. Don't forget to leave me a nice review! I worked like crazy all week for each of you. **


	9. Crush

**So, before I get to the chapter, I want to share a short story with you guys. My friend and I went to my family reunion last weekend in Heber Springs and swan and swam and swam. But while we were eating, my aunt, my cousin, and my aunt's friend and I all were all talking about wrestling. My aunt was so jealous that Torrie tweeted me. She said that if Randy Orton tweeted her, she'd probably die of happiness, lol. But anyway, my cousin told me what Randy Orton's daughter, Alanna, calls John Cena. Now, I already knew that she loved John Cena, because I've seen a picture of her wearing one of his hats. But she calls him 'naked baby.' I haven't got a clue why. I know that Randy and John are close, so I'm sure she knows him, but where naked baby came from, I don't know. **

**Oh, and by the way, I've been meaning to tell y'all that I **_**do**_** watch Smackdown every Friday. But since most of the interesting stuff happens on RAW, I just don't say anything about it. However, I knew that there was a chance that John Cena would be there because of Randy Orton's suspension. And then, the first match on Smackdown, I saw his dad. I was positive that it was him and I was right! Cena showed up and punched Laurinaitis. I was like, "no! He's gonna get fired!" My brother told me not to worry. Anyway, enough of my rambles. Here's the next chapter. **

John stomped angrily all the way to morning football practice. He couldn't believe that Eve had found out about Torrie's pregnancy. But what pissed him off the most was that he didn't know how Eve had found out. Because he knew that Torrie was very choosy as to who she shared anything with and had only told Stacy. He himself had only told Randy.

Why would Eve do that? Was she so stupid that she had to stoop so low-just to get him back? Well, she'd never get him back.

_Never_.

"Is it true, John?" Dave asked him as he was getting dressed for practice.

John nodded apprehensively. "Yeah, it is."

But what John didn't understand was why Torrie was talking about a miscarriage. From what he understood, she'd gotten an abortion. That was part of the reason they'd broken up in the first place. That, and the fact that she up and moved without telling him. Their relationship actually could have been saved if she hadn't have moved. Or, if she had told him more than a week before she moved.

All the eyes in the field house shifted to John.

"That why she moved?" Shawn asked.

John nodded, staring at his feet. "Yep."

Hunter was the next person to say anything. "That why you and Randy fought?"

"Part of it," John replied, "the answer to most of y'all's questions is yes, aight?"

Everyone else nodded.

Coach Flair walked into the room. "Cena, glad to see you're on time today."

If it was any other member of the faculty, John would've mouthed off to them, but it was Coach Flair, and John actually respected him. "Yes, sir," he uttered.

"If that happens again, you're gonna find yourself in some hot water…and your star quarterback spot's gonna be hanging in the balance. Got it?" Coach Flair said sternly.

John nodded. "Yes, sir."

Randy's eyes flashed over to John. Genuinely, he felt sorry for his friend. The entire school was going to be buzzing about this little scandal with him and Torrie and would be for a long time. Damn Eve!

"I want you all out on the field in five minutes!" Coach Flair announced.

John sighed as Coach Flair exited the field house. Slamming his locker shut, John picked up his equipment, ready to go knock helmets.

…

The bell rang. Lunch time had officially begun. Trish, of course, was in line with Christian. As always, they were flirting incoherently. It was almost as if they were the only two people in the room. But they weren't, of course. The school had more than a thousand students.

"A test already?" Trish asked Christian.

"Yeah," he replied, "Mr. Caloway thinks that my attitude sucks." This was really bad for Christian. He really and truly hated math of any kind. Actually, he hated school work of any kind.

"Don't worry," Trish replied, "school just started. How bad could it be? Besides, if you're really concerned, I'll help you study."

He smiled. "Thanks, babe. I really appreciate that."

She smiled back. "Any time, baby."

She watched as he picked up his tray and walked forward. "See you at the table!" he announced.

As he walked away, an envelope flitted out of his bag and landed on the white-tiled floor of the cafeteria. "Wait, you-" she started to say. But he was too far away to hear her. She shrugged and picked it up. She stashed it in her purse. She'd give it to him later.

Or she'd thought she would. Being the forgetful girl that she was, she forgot, spending the whole lunch right by his side, envelope still in her purse. As with many things, it had totally slipped her mind.

…

"So, Lil," Candice said that day, stabbing at the lunchroom's questionable meat loaf, "heard you and Maria recorded a song. How'd it go?"

"Great," Lilian replied, smiling, "Ria's got a great voice, she just doesn't choose to use it."

Maria, who happened to be sitting with them that day, blushed.

"The song was awesome. Lilian and Maria both have amazing voices and Jeff's song writing is fabulous. I smell a hit!" Mickie exclaimed.

Everyone at the table laughed. Some days, like that day, the girls sat together and the guys sat together. This seemed like one of those appropriate days.

Torrie was just trying to get through the day without breaking into tears again. She really wanted to talk to John, but then, she didn't, either. The situation itself was weird enough, but adding Eve into the melting pot was crazy. She poked haphazardly at the meat loaf and mashed potatoes that no one was eating.

"Are you all right, Tor?" Stacy whispered, her eyes concerned.

Torrie nodded. Though she was lying, Stacy had enough problems of her own without adding to them.

Candice's eyes shifted to Torrie, who seemed really depressed. Candice didn't really know much about sadness-or sacrifice. Most of her things in life had been handed to her, been easy to achieve.

But all of that was all about to change.

…

"Come on, Shawn!" Hunter exclaimed, "Why can't you just tell us who you like? It's not that big of a deal, bro."

Shawn stared down at his tray. "It is, too."

"We won't tell anyone," Dave nudged him.

Shawn glared at him. "If it's not a big deal, then why don't you ask out Steph?" he geared this toward Hunter, "and Dave, why don't you ask, Candice?"

Dave blushed, but Hunter laughed. "'Cause it's fun to mess with Stephanie. Besides, I got a thing for somebody else…," he trailed, watching a raven-haired woman walk by.

The whole table was silent, following Hunter's eyes to the woman.

"Miss Laurer?" Edge exclaimed.

"Dude, she's like, thirty-something!" Chris added.

Hunter shrugged. "She's hot. Really. Fucking. Hot."

Shawn covered his ears. "What have I told you about profanity?"

The table laughed, butdidn't make fun of him. They respected his religious values.

"I'm waiting, Dave," Shawn said, finally uncovering his ears.

Dave turned beet red again. "Candice…she'd never go for me."

"Why?" Jeff asked, "Candy's cool, you're cool. I mean, you're nice to her. Why wouldn't she wantyou?"

"Yeah," Matt replied, "didn't you help her with the party last Saturday?"

Dave nodded. "Yeah, but-"

"But nothing," Ted interrupted, "you're asking her out and that's that."

"Easy for you to say," Cody interjected, "you _have_ a girlfriend and have had one for a while. You haven't been shot down."

Ted smiled and shut up.

"All right then," Hunter said, "now that that's settled, let's gets back to you, Shawnie."

Shawn shook his head.

"Come on," Punk coaxed, "give us a hint."

Shawn sighed. "She's blond, okay?"

A lot of their female friends were blond: Maryse, Ashley, Kelly, Stacy, Torrie, Lilian, and Trish. There were also girls that weren't exactly their friends who were blond: Michelle, Jackie, not to mention the blond teachers.

"She isn't a teacher, is she?" Evan asked, "Not that Mrs. Lesnar and Ms. Runnels aren't hot, but I think that Coach Lesnar would kill you if you had a thing for-"

"Stop!" Shawn interjected, "I don't like a teacher. Or one of the snobby girls, either."

Which blond could it be?

**That **_**is **_**the question. Which diva does he like? Anyone got an idea? I'm hoping that y'all won't see it coming, but you might. Oh, how I love this story. I can't wait to see what happens on RAW tonight. People Power is over! Yes, yes, yes! Woo, woo, woo! LOL, I don't actually like Daniel Bryan, but I love saying 'yes, yes, yes' over and over to annoy my mom, who gags at the sight of him. I'm thinking abut starting a new story about the divas as housewives, well, except Torrie, who's gonna be single. It'll be her diary, though. I'll have more details later. What do you guys think? I swear I won't abandon this story. This chapter is named after "Crush" by David Archuleta. **


	10. Breathe

After school that day, Candice went home to find her parents' cars in the garage. That was a bit of a surprise, considering they were supposed to be in New York that day. Whatever the reason, she went inside. In the dining room, she found her parents sitting at the table with papers scattered all over. They both wore grimacing expressions on their faces.

"Mom, Dad?" Candice asked, sitting down with them.

Her parents looked up at her and then exchanged worried glances with one another.

"What…what is it?" she asked nervously.

Her mother took a deep breath. "It's a long story, sweetie, but I suppose you deserve to know it."

Candice had never seen her mother so upset. "Momma?" She hadn't called her mother that in a long time.

Her father took a deep breath. "As it would turn out, some of our workers up north are careless. At one of the chemical mixing plants, they…they made some mistakes with the new line of foundation."

Her parents were the CEO's of Candien Cosmetics. Candien stood for Candice and Aiden, Candice's older brother who had been stillborn three years before she was born.

"So…," Candice trailed off. She was still unsure of what her parents were trying to tell her.

"So," her mother said, "the company's been sued. We've been keeping this a secret because we didn't want to upset you, but I guess it's time we tell you. The chemicals mixed in with the foundations were harmful. Some people have gotten sick, some have been in the hospital a while. I guess what we're trying to say is that we're bankrupt. The house, the cars, the boat, they're all being repossessed."

Candice's mouth gaped open. "What…what are we going to do?"

Her father closed his eyes in sadness. "We're going to move across town to stay with your grandmother until we get back on our feet."

Candice's grandmother, her father's mother, was disabled and was living off of security and disability checks. Her cramped, three bedroom condo wouldn't be enough for them. At least, Candice didn't think so. She'd been living in that big, beautiful house for so long that moving seemed alien, wrong. "Can't we do something? Sell some things?" she asked.

"If only we could, honey," her mom replied sadly, "it would never be enough for this house."

Candice knew that she should try to be strong, but a flood of tears started to make their way down her face. She couldn't help it. Both of her parents jumped from their chairs and both wrapped their arms around her.

"It's going to be okay," her father said softly, "I promise, baby girl."

Her parents had never let her down before, hopefully they wouldn't now.

…

"So, Maria," Jeff said Friday night, "when do you want to get to work on the skit?"

Maria shrugged. "Whenever's fine with me."

Jeff and Maria had been paired up for a project in their drama class. They were to perform a short skit from any play of their choice.

"Wednesday all right?"

She nodded, half dazed. She was so happy that she was going to that close to Jeff. Okay, so maybe it was for a project, and maybe Jeff was taken, and maybe that girl just happened to be Mickie, her best friend. It wasn't like she was going to try and steal Jeff. She couldn't even if she really tried. "That's fine. My house or yours?"

He shrugged. "Well, my house is always full of Matt and his friends and their little trails of mess. So, can we do it at yours?"

She laughed. "Sure, I'll be sure to clean up a bit before."

He laughed, too. "That'd be great."

"So, have you thought about what play we could do?" Maria asked. She didn't know too many, but she figured that Jeff did.

He nodded his head yes. "There are so many choices. _Wicked, RENT, Rock of Ages, Footloose, the Phantom of the Opera, Macbeth, _well, any Shakespeare."

Maria giggled. "I'm impressed. The only plays that I know are from Disney Channel."

Jeff stared at her blankly.

Maria sucked in a breath. "_High School Musical_?_ Camp Rock_?_" _

Jeff cracked a smile. "I know. I was just messing with you. I…I don't really want to do those, though."

Maria laughed "I know. I was just messing with you!"

Jeff laughed, too. "Good. I don't know how I'd play out as Troy."

"And me as Gabriella or Sharpay? No way," Maria added.

"We can figure it out when we get together this week," Jeff said, "we can read over some and find out what would be easiest."

Maria nodded. "Sounds like a plan."

…

That day after school, Matt, Edge, Ashley, and Lita all went to McDonald's, their Monday ritual. This was to "relieve the stress of the day." Really, it was just to hang out.

They ordered burgers, fries, and cokes and sat in the back of the restaurant to watch the children play in the Play-Place.

After swallowing a bite of French fry, Ashley said, "I remember that I used to always steal everyone's shoes and then throw at them."

The other three began to laugh. "Matt, Jeff, and I used to go to the little blue room and jump and scream at the people eating," Lita remembered.

"You know," Matt said, "I don't understand why they even have this place. I mean, all it does is cause trouble. Remember that time Chris got stuck on one of the slides and they had to call the fire department."

The four of them burst out laughing.

"Yeah," Adam nodded, "and we had to tell them that John's little brother was his brother and that he was just going after him."

"Poor kid," Ashley said, "Sean looked so confused. I thought he was gonna start crying."

"Speaking of John," Lita said, "what exactly did he say to you guys about what Eve was sputtering about?"

Edge shrugged. "All he said in the field house was that what she said was true and that Torrie had moved 'cause of it."

"Torrie told us that she didn't have an abortion," Ashley said, "She said it was a miscarriage."

Lita nodded.

Matt didn't know what to think. John didn't say anything about an abortion, but he hadn't said anything about a miscarriage, either. He didn't know how it was possible for Torrie to keep something as big as a pregnancy concealed.

"At any rate," Lita said, "we need to let them deal with it. It's really not our business."

Adam nodded. "Right, Ash?"

Ashley blushed. "Right."

Lita and Matt shared a smile. She tilted her head toward the front of the restaurant. "We're gonna go get McFlurrys. You guys want one?"

They both shook their heads.

Lita and Matt disappeared to the cash register.

Edge cleared his throat. "So, Ashley."

She smiled. "So, Adam."

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but haven't we been dating a little bit?" he asked, smiling.

She nodded. "Sure have. Where's this going, Edge?"

He shrugged. "I don't know. I was just wondering if you wanted to…you know, be my girlfriend. Like, not see other people."

She beamed. "I'd love nothing more, actually." Then, she reached over the table and pecked his lips quickly.

"Hey, hey!"

The two turned to see Matt and Lita looking at them, grinning. Matt was the one who had yelled at them. They sat down and pulled the tops off of their ice cream. "No making out in front of little children," Matt ordered.

Edge and Ashley snickered. Lita just shook her head and squeezed her boyfriend's hand.

…

"So, what are we doing again?" Shawn asked Hunter that very same day.

Hunter sighed. "I just told you what we're going to do. I'm going to see Miss Laurer and you're going to stand guard."

"What for?" Shawn asked, "are you gonna steal something?"

Hunter sighed again, in exasperation. "No, no. I just don't want anyone to assume that she and I are doing something. Not yet, at least." He grinned.

Shawn blew out a breath. "Hunter, that's…that's not right. Miss Laurer's a teacher."

Hunter chuckled. "I know, Shawnie."

"Then…why would you…," he trailed off, making a sick face.

"Exactly," Hunter replied, "look, there's her classroom. I'm just gonna slip in; talk to Miss Laurer and then you can keep watch. If anyone comes, just knock on the door and I'll leave. Got it?"

Shawn nodded, sighing.

Hunter knocked, but before Miss Laurer could say whether or not he could come in, he marched into her room like he owned it. "Hello, Miss Laurer!"

She looked up from her laptop and saw one of her students come in. "Good afternoon, Mr. Levesque. What can I help you with?"

He cleared his throat. "You can call me Hunter."

She cracked a smile. "But you're name's Paul. Paul Levesque. My parents gave me the wrong name. See, I'm such a hunter on the football field that-"

"That you got that name, huh?" Miss Laurer finished for him, "all right, then, it's up to you. But still, call me Miss Laurer."

He chuckled. "Why not Joanie? Isn't that your name?"

She nodded. "Yes, it's my name, but I'm also your teacher. You must respect me by calling me 'Miss.'"

"Hmm," he replied, "okay."

She shut her laptop and shifted all of her attention to her student. "So, what did you come to see today for?"

Hunter had prepared for this. "It's the homework." He started to dig in his already cluttered backpack for it.

"What's the matter?" she asked, genuinely concerned.

"It's these hyperbole things…ah, ha!" he presented the paper to her. Hunter pronounced hyperbole as 'hyper-bowl.'

"You mean hi-per-buh-lee?" she asked, sounding it out.

"I guess," he replied, "what the fu-heck do they mean?" he caught himself before he cursed in front of her.

She gave him a coy smile. "Watch your mouth, Hunter. And they're exaggerations. All it means is that someone is going extravagant when they describe something."  
He gave her a blank look.

She sighed an exasperated sigh. "Okay, say that I tell you that my shih tzu weighs a thousand pounds. What I'm implying is that she's big or overweight. She doesn't really weigh a thousand pounds."

For Hunter, it clicked. "Oh! Like when we're in the locker room and we're talking about, you know the size of-"

"I'm gonna stop you right there, Mr. Levesque," Miss Laurer said in frustration.

He grinned. "What? I was gonna say the size of our cars. Get your mind out of the gutter, Miss Laurer."

Meanwhile, outside the door, Shawn was trying to keep the time going by counting the tiles on the floor, but he kept losing count.

"Hey, Shawnie!"

Shawn looked up and saw a gaggle of girls: Kelly, Stephanie, Stacy, Torrie, and Lilian. "H-hey, girls! What are you all still doing here? I mean, Tor, I'd figure that you'd want to go home after what Eve did and all."

Torrie flushed bright red. Despite it happening hours ago, it still really upset her. "I'm all right, Shawnie. I just came here with them to get some stuff from the library."

"Oh," Shawn replied.

"So, what's up with you?" Stephanie asked, giving him a questioning glance.

"Waiting on Hunter," he said casually. Then he remembered Hunter. He began to rap lightly on the door, hoping to catch his attention.

Hunter, inside of the room, heard. "Whoops! Gotta go, because I'm Shawn's ride home and he's waiting for me."  
She nodded. "You sure you know what you're doing?"

"Yep," he chimed back.

When he opened the door, he was greeted by not only Shawn, but also by Torrie, Stacy, Lilian, Kelly, and Stephanie. "Hey, girls," he said, smiling. He looked toward Stephanie and said, "hey, Steph." He winked, evoking laughter from all of them but Stephanie, who glared and looked away.

"What were you doing in there?" Stephanie asked, accusingly.

He shrugged. "Just asking Miss Laurer for some help on the homework. Why? Something wrong with it?"

She shrugged, too. "Guess not."

"Well, we've got to get going!" he announced, grabbing Shawn, who was still looking dazed.

"Bye!" the girls echoed in unison.

"Bye, bye!" he yelled back.

When the girls were out of earshot, Hunter said, "I told you to knock if you saw someone coming. Not to wait until they were standing outside the door."

Shawn looked at his feet. "I…I got distracted," he said, embarrassed.

A smile passed over his best friend's face. "So, one of them was the blond, huh? It was Stacy, wasn't it?"

Shawn didn't answer.

"I don't blame you man, she's got some killer legs. Wait, are you sure it was Stacy?"

Shawn still didn't answer.

Hunter made a face. "Was it Kelly, then? She's good, too, that ass…," he trailed off.

Shawn sighed.

"Or was it Stephanie?" For some reason, this made Hunter a little angry.

"It wasn't Stephanie! God, she's not even blond," Shawn said.

"She was at one time," Hunter reminded Shawn.

Shawn sighed again. Sometimes Hunter drove him absolutely stir crazy.

"Or Lilian, maybe? She's got, like the best skin I've ever seen. Looks so soft, not to mention her ass, too."

When Shawn didn't answer, Hunter gasped.

"God, Shawn, please don't tell me it was Torrie. I mean, she's an emotional wreck. Besides, she's still hung up on John. Damn, do you know what John would do if you even tried something with her? Now, don't get me wrong, I love Tor and all, but I can't deal with all that-"

"Shut up, Hunter!" Shawn said, "It's not Torrie."

Hunter smiled. "So, it's Stacy, Kelly, or Lilian. Hmm, this shouldn't take too hard to figure out."

Shawn was too exasperated to lie and say it wasn't one of them.

…

After their trip to the library, Torrie didn't go straight home. She turned down a familiar road, one she'd driven down many times before. It was a nice house. It was white and had a huge yard, too. This was probably a good thing, considering the five boys who lived there.

It took a lot of courage for Torrie to climb the steps to the door, to knock. She'd only hit the door once before the youngest boy, Sean Cena opened the door.

He opened it wide, wide enough for her to see a Nerf football being tossed around and a Golden Retriever going nuts. "Hey, Torrie!" he exclaimed. He couldn't help but hug her. All of the Cena men had loved Torrie. Their mother did, too, but she lived two towns over, so more than likely, Torrie wouldn't be seeing her any time soon.

She smiled and hugged him back. "Hey, Boog!"

"You here to see John?" he asked.

Torrie swallowed and nodded. "Is…is he here yet?"

Sean nodded. "Yeah, he's in his room blasting Three Days Grace again. Do you know how many times we've heard "Riot" and "Animal I Have Become" today?"

Torrie shook her head. John loved Three Days Grace. She'd never be able to forget that.

"Who's here?" Matt came rushing to the door. "Torrie!" he exclaimed, "Boog, why didn't you let her in?"

He shrugged. "I was surprised to see her."

Matt all but rolled his eyes. "Come on in, Torrie. I'm sure you're here to see John, but-"

"No, she's here to see me!" Dan popped out from behind the couch, scaring the living daylights, out of their dog, Lu, who fell down and covered his head with his paws.

"Dan!" Sean yelled, running to check on the dog.

"Hey, Dan," Torrie said, hugging him, too.

He put an arm around her. "See guys, I told you."

She laughed. "Where's Steve?" she asked, referring to the eldest Cena brother.

"He's gone to college now, Torrie," Matt replied, "Auburn."

"Yeah," Torrie replied, "he's always been a smart guy."

"Dad's still at work," Sean piped up, still checking on Lu.

"I figured," Torrie replied.

"John's supposed to be in charge," Dan replied, "but he locked himself in his room. Did something happen at school? Besides you coming back, of course. I can't believe he didn't tell us."

Torrie shrugged. "Eve happened. I think he should tell you the details."

They all made a face. None of them were able to stand Eve.

"You think he'd be able to hear me if I knocked on his door?" Torrie asked.

Dan shrugged. "It's supposed to be my room, too, since Steve moved out, but he kind of takes it over."

"Well, I'm going in there. I really, really need to talk to him," Torrie said, eying the staircase.

Matt nodded. "Go on up. He's got the same room."

Torrie dashed up the stairs, remembering what it had been like two years ago. Back when she and John were still dating, back when her parents were still arguing like crazy. Despite her parents constant fighting, Torrie had been happy around that time. She had John and that was all she needed. She spent a lot of time at the Cena house, not just because of John, but also because she needed a place that felt homey. When her parents argued, which was most of the time, her two older brothers, Travis and Tim, had disappeared to play basketball, leaving her and her younger brother, Matt at home with their screaming parents.

Matt had his own way of coping: video games. Any kind, really. Fighting, sports, role playing, virtual reality, cartoons, the list went on and on. She figured that all of those weren't good for him, but he was sincerely fine. Playing them made him feel more serene and calm, and Torrie knew that he was _not_ to be bothered while he played his games.

So, the Cena household had become Torrie's sanctuary, especially on Friday nights. Those were the best because it was payday and payday meant fried chicken from KFC, burgers from Burger King, Chinese from China Express, or pizza from Pizza Hut. John Cena Sr. made sure to always bring extra home, because Torrie was almost always there. At first, Torrie was embarrassed and had to be coaxed into eating. She didn't want to be a moocher, but soon enough, she was racing to the kitchen, along with the brothers.

Friday also meant movie night and they took turns picking. They even began giving Torrie picks. The guys, of course, always picked Sci-Fi, horror, suspense, a crime drama, a mystery, or a vulgar comedy. At first, she did, too, as to not make them bad. However, after a lot of _Friday the Thirteenth_, _Nightmare on Elm Street_, _Alien VS Predator_, and way too many Jackie Chan films, Torrie got brave and chose _You Again_. The guys, of course, tried to veto it, but John Sr. said that it _was_ Torrie's choice, _and_ she'd sat through theirs without a complaint. They always sat the exact same way: John Sr. in his recliner, Dan, Matt and Steve on the couch, Sean on the floor, hogging the popcorn, and Torrie and John on the loveseat. For a while, Sean sat with John and Torrie, but no one really wanted to because Torrie would sit in John lap, her arms wrapped around his neck. Usually, they were sent to another room. For that, they never complained.

Outside John's door, Torrie could hear "I Hate Everything About You" blaring through his speakers. Torrie took a deep breath before rapping lightly on the door. He didn't hear her. She knocked even harder.

_I hate everything about you. Why do I love you?_

Again, John didn't hear her.

Torrie was getting frustrated. She pounded on the door with both hands and yelled, "Open the door!"

_I hate everything about you. Why do I love you?_

She heard nothing but music until the door swung open. John didn't say a word when he saw who stood at his bedroom door.

"We need to talk," Torrie said brusquely.

John ran his hand over his hair before letting Torrie into his room. He turned his speakers down, just as the song turned to "Never Too Late."

"You can keep it," Torrie said, "I like this song."

John allowed a half smile to appear on his face. He nodded toward the bed. "You can sit down. Sorry it's such a damn mess, I just-"

"It's fine," Torrie said, "from what I can remember, you've never been very clean."

John smiled again. Oddly enough, it was comforting to have Torrie in his house again. He stood across the room from her, afraid to get too close to her. "So, what's up?"

Torrie swallowed. "I figured that you'd already know what I came to talk to you about."

He nodded. "Eve."

Torrie nodded, too. "Yeah, Eve." That was when she noticed that he was standing away from her. She patted the bed. "You can sit down beside me, you know. I'm not poison."

John cracked a smile. "I know, Tor." He walked over to his bed and sat down beside her. He took a deep breath before saying, "I'm sorry about her. I have no idea how she found out about it."

Torrie looked at her feet. "I do."

"You do?" he asked, looking confused.

She nodded. "Mmm-hmm. At Candice's party, Randy and I were talking about it. Sort of."

"Sort of?"

"We kinda talked about it. I guess Eve head enough to put two and two together. But where she got the abortion thing, I have no idea."

John stared at her, mouth gaping.

"What is it?" Torrie asked, puzzled.

"The abortion thing?" he asked, "Torrie why'd you tell everyone that you didn't have an abortion?"

Torrie was really confused now. "Uh…John, I don't know what you're talking about, but I never had an abortion."

John frowned. "You didn't? But your dad said…," he trailed off.

Torrie felt a pang in her chest. "My dad told you what?"

"That you were having one. The day that y'all were moving, I went over there to apologize. I was trying to talk to you, tell you not to leave. Your dad told me that you didn't want to see me. That as soon as you got to Boise, you were…aborting the baby."

Torrie could see that his eyes were pained as he was saying this. "John, I'm sorry about what my dad told you. None of that was true. Part of the reason my mom and I came back was because of dad. They were getting divorced and she wanted to come back. She missed the ocean and the beach and the warm climate. I missed that, too, but mostly I wanted to come back for all of my friends. And to get back where I belonged."

John didn't know if she meant him or just the town. He didn't reply to her, just waited for her to go on.

"It killed me that I had a miscarriage, John. The doctor said that it was in no way my fault, but I still felt responsible. That baby was the last thing that tied me to you," she paused, eyeing him, "it was a living, growing thing that was truly ours. The doctor said it was stress and my body was too wore out to have the baby," Torrie closed her eyes, feeling a tear make its way down her face.

The fact that John had believed her father him furious. He should have known that he was lying. Al Wilson had never liked him much, but then, he'd never liked anyone that much, either. If he hadn't have believed him, maybe he could have found some way to make Torrie stay. Maybe she wouldn't have had the miscarriage. Maybe, just maybe, they'd still be together. But what would they have done with the baby?

"What were you planning on doing after the baby was born?" John asked.

Torrie blew out a breath. "I didn't even consider abortion. At first, I figured I'd just put the baby up for adoption, but I didn't think I could handle that. I mean, the baby was _ours _John. How could I have just given them up?"

Without thinking, John wrapped Torrie in his arms, the first time in a very long time. This only made Torrie cry a little harder. She'd basically forgotten what it felt like to be in John's arms, how he smelled. God, she missed it! "I'm so sorry, Torrie," he whispered.

"I'm sorry, too," she said, just as softly.

Pulling away gently, Torrie looked into John's ocean blue eyes. One thing that she'd never forgotten was the gorgeous, deep blue of John's eyes, the ones that she loved and missed so much. She shared a glance before they both leaned forward. At some point, their lips met and they kissed. It was a soft, sweet kiss, one that they'd both been waiting for since Torrie had moved back. Neither one of them dared to deepen it because that may have meant ending it and they didn't want that.

They wanted the moment to last for eternity.

'Cause _I can feel you breathe, it's washing over me, and suddenly I'm melting into you. _

_ There's nothing left to prove, baby all we need is just to be._

_ Caught up in the touch, a slow and steady rush, baby isn't that the way love's supposed to be?_

_ I can feel you breathe._

**Finally! Thank God John and Torrie are on the way to getting back together. I was gonna hold it out longer, but I wanted to focus on some other couples. Now that Jorrie's out of the way, our main focus is either going to be on Mickie/Jeff/Maria or Rancy. I don't know which yet. Which would y'all rather see? This song's named after "Breathe" by Faith Hill. When I was little, she was my favorite singer and just recently, I've been listening to her a lot. I hope y'all enjoyed! **


	11. My Immortal

** So, before I get to this chapter, I'd like to vent my frustrations about John Cena's divorce. If you don't care what I've got to say, feel free to skip down to the next chapter. I was hoping and praying that it wouldn't get ugly, but Liz has done it. She's claiming that she thinks that he cheated on her! **_**And **_**Kenny Dykstra (Ken Doane), you know that guy from the Spirtit Squad, claims John had an affair with Mickie James while she and Kenny were engaged. That's bullshit! What's worse is that he also claims that he had an affair with one of the RAW divas who moved to Smackdown during the 2008 draft. I watched that draft and the only two divas that moved were Victoria…and Torrie Wilson. He says that the girl was married (they both were) and that the guy wasn't involved with the WWE. So now, everyone thinks that it's Vic (now Tara on TNA), but what they're not considering is that Torrie's ex-husband, Peter Gruner (Billy Gunn) was released WAY before this 'supposed' affair. So, it could have been either. I just want to say that I don't believe a word of it! And even if it is true (and I really don't think it is), it doesn't matter because John and Liz weren't married at the time of EITHER alleged affair. God, that pisses me off so badly! Whatever happened, my heart goes out to him. Ken Doane needs to stay the hell out of John's business. I'm sure that this divorce is hard on him enough as it is, without some washed-up jobber going at him with stupid allegations. I'm sure he just wants to spite Mickie and Victoria since he was with both of them and they BOTH dumped his sorry ass. Sorry for the ramble, y'all, but I figure that you're all just as pissed as I am. I honestly think that Liz cheated on him and now she's got a guilty conscience. I've heard that for years, even before they were married. And if any of the stuff Dykstra said was true, why wouldn't it have came out earlier?**

** I want to dedicate this chapter to my dear friend (and a fellow Jorrie/Rancy freak) LegsxRKO. She's been reviewing and giving me all kinds of feedback in PMs. In fact, she's the person who referred me to the song that titles this chapter: "My Immortal" by Evanescence. She's also part of the reason Christian and Trish are still together. :P I can't wait to help her start writing her story in a few months. **

"I really enjoyed our date, Randy. Do you…do you wanna do it again?"

That afternoon, Randy was on the phone with Rosa. Out of the blue, she'd called him. At one time, he'd have been happy to have gotten a call from Rosa, but not now. No, he was completely over the whole slut thing. In fact, he was pretty sure that he had feelings for someone else.

"Uh…," Randy trailed off.

"Well?" Rosa asked, "are you gonna answer me?"

Randy took a deep breath. "No…I don't think so, Rosa. I mean, it's not you or anything, it's just-"

Rosa screamed over the phone and then began to sputter in Spanish. "You'll be sorry, Randy Orton!"

Quickly, Randy pushed end on his phone and shook his head. He decided not to stress too much about Rosa's warning. Besides, he had another phone call to make.

…

Maria sat down a pitcher of tea, a plate of cookies, and two glasses. She and Jeff were at her house, set to work on their skit.

"Thanks," he said, looking up from his notebook.

She smiled. "You're welcome." She began pouring the tea and after, she sat down beside Jeff.

Jeff was writing furiously, as ideas were soaring in his head.

"Any ideas yet?" she asked, knowing full well that there were.

He nodded. "Yeah, I was thinking Roger and Mimi from RENT or maybe Fiyero and Elphaba from Wicked, or Romeo and Juliet…no, never mind."

Maria started to laugh. "I really like RENT, so why don't we do something from that?"

Jeff nodded. "Me, too. So, Roger and Mimi?"

Maria smiled. "Unless you want to be Joanne. Because my favorite character's Maureen and-"

"They're lesbians," Jeff finished for her. "I'd rather play a guy."

"Okay, then," Maria said, laughing, "Roger and Mimi it is!"

…

"Damn it!" Trish exclaimed, "Where is it?"

Trish was looking for her schedule. She was planning on writing it out on her all-purpose binder so that she wouldn't forget her classes. She'd _thought _that it was in her purse, but she wasn't so sure.

Finally, she dumped the whole thing out on her bed. She began to scuffle through pens, loose change, gum, some random scraps of paper, a bracelet, a pack of sticky notes, and an envelope, but no schedule.

"What's this?" Trish asked herself, picking the envelope up. Gingerly, she tore the envelope open and pulled out the paper that was inside of it. _My fee has gone up, you two. The longer the secret's kept, the more you're gonna pay. So, I expect one hundred dollars from each of you before the week's up. _

Trish was very confused. What fee? Had Christian typed the message? Or was he one of the two people? Whatever the hell it was, Trish was determined to get to the bottom of it.

…

AJ Lee pulled up to her boyfriend, Daniel Bryan's house and sighed. She didn't want to be there, nor did she want to see him. Lately, he hadn't been very nice to her. He made her feel vulnerable and sometimes a little useless.

Reluctantly, AJ stepped out of the car and closed the door. She walked up Daniel's driveway and stepped up to the front door. She'd barely knocked twice when the door came open.

Behind the door was Daniel, who had a very angry expression on his face.

AJ tried to smile. "Hi, Daniel, sorry I'm-"

Daniel jerked her inside and slammed the door shut. "Where the hell were you?" he demanded, grabbing her arm and stalking toward the stairs.

He was hurting her, but AJ didn't want to be any more of a nuisance than she already was. She closed her eyes and Daniel jerked her up to the second level of his house. He opened the door to his room and threw her onto his bed.

"What the hell is your problem, AJ?" Daniel demanded, placing his hands on his hips.

AJ didn't answer him.

Daniel's frown grew more malicious and he raised his right hand, before slapping AJ right across the face. AJ knew better than to cry out, for that only made him angrier.

He sighed. "I don't like hurting you, you know? You just have to provoke me, don't you?"

"I'm sorry," AJ whispered.

"Shut up!" Daniel yelled, walloping AJ again, "I didn't ask you to talk! Now listen, I've got Algebra homework tonight and you're gonna do it, okay?"

AJ nodded, grimacing as a tear rolled down her face.

Daniel smiled and kissed AJ's cheek. "Good, let's turn on some music and you can get to work!"

Daniel turned his back to her, turning the stereo on to an easy listening station. AJ hated easy listening and Daniel knew it. He loved to upset her.

He handed her a packet of papers and a pencil. As she was expected to, she got straight to work.

…

Kelly was alone now.

Studying had become one of her favorite pastimes, lately. Stephanie had gone home to start dinner since her parents both had meetings, Stacy went to the grocery store to pick some things up for her mother, and Torrie had went to 'do something she should have done from the start,' whatever that was. So, that meant that it was just her, a notebook, a pen, a highlighter, a textbook, and the librarian. Oh, and silence. Silence was good for Kelly.

History was what she was studying at that moment. She liked history; it was considerably easy to study. Science, too. All you really had to do was memorize the people, the key terms, the events, and you were home free. English and math were a different story. Sure, literature was simple enough, but the writing part wasn't. Kelly wasn't very creative when it came to essays and narratives; she never put in enough detail or enough 'transition words,' or whatever the hell it was that Miss Laurer wanted. Math was hard, too. At least in English, some of it was memorable, but she just couldn't study math. Math required memorizing long formulas, figuring, sometimes without a calculator, writing out equations. Math, in her opinion, was quite pointless. Actually, a lot of things about school, in her opinion, were pointless.

This was why she'd moved to that school. She'd barely squeaked by summer school two years before, therefore, her mother was hell-bent on her passing this grade. It wasn't optional at all, in fact, it was an order. Kelly literally had to pass with B's if she expected to live with her parents.

"Hey, Kells."

Kelly looked up into the face of CM Punk. She forced a smile. Sure, she liked Punk, but she really needed to study, she needed no distractions. "Hey, Punk."

He sat down across from her, still grinning from ear to ear. "What's up?"

She looked up from her book again, eyeing him. "Studying, what about you? Stalking, huh?"

He laughed quietly. "Stalking? That's a bit harsh. No, that's my weekend gig."

Kelly grinned.

Punk turned serious. "So, Kel, are you and Evan…are you a thing?"

She flashed him a confused look. "A thing?"

He nodded. "You know an item? Together?"

"Oh," she replied, "you mean a couple?"

"Right," he replied.

She shook her head no. "No, we're not."

A look of hope passed over his face. "That's great! 'Cause see, I was kind of wondering if you wanted to go see _Savages_ with me Friday."

Kelly frowned. "Isn't that rated R?"

He laughed. "Yeah, but I'm eighteen, remember? I can get us in."

She sighed. "I don't mean to be rude, Phil, but I don't really need to be dating anyone right now. I mean, I need to focus on my schoolwork. We've got college to think about _and_ my mom's real strict about my grades."

She expected his face to fall, but it didn't, he just kept grinning and he shrugged. "Oh, well. Don't think I won't give up trying, Mizz Blank," he replaced the S's in 'miss' with Z's.

She grinned. "Okay, Mr. Brooks!"

Kelly was one of the few people who knew Punk's real name: Phil Brooks.

He winked at her one time before leaving the library-and her looking bewildered.

…

Stacy grabbed a buggy and started shoving through the aisles of Kroger to get everything on her mother's list. Secretly, Stacy loved grocery shopping. Actually, she loved shopping of any kind. But grocery shopping meant that she got to pick the brand, type, and quality of their food.

"White Idaho potatoes," she muttered, spotting a bag of them. _Should've asked Torrie for some,_ Stacy thought to herself, smiling.

_A1, Heinz 57, lettuce, tomatoes, Ranch dressing, onions, cheese, eggs, diced ham, bacon bits, carrots, croutons, season salt, and Greek pepper. _

Stacy knew exactly what they were having that night for supper. Sure enough, at the bottom of the list, _Rib eyes_, was penned in her mother's handwriting. _Yes!_ Stacy thought to herself. She loved steak of any kind, salad, too. Her mother was more than likely making steak to celebrate her dad's promotion. He worked at the Florida State Highway Department at their county's district on the bridge crew. Just recently, he'd been promoted to bridge inspector, which meant that he earned twenty-eight thousand more a year.

This was a huge relief on her family. Her parents had married young, neither of them attending college. Her mother _had _worked at a daycare center, but was injured on a skiing trip, so she was disabled now. For a while, her family had lived paycheck to paycheck, but not now. It was about damn time her dad got a decent job. He'd worked his ass off his entire life for his family, now he was getting what he deserved.

Stacy pushed the cart over to the meat section of the store and began examining the steaks. Beef was high and the rib eyes that her mother had requested were over nine dollars a pound. Stacy shrugged and threw two packs into the cart.

Next, she pushed the cart over to the dairy section, where she found a carton of eggs and a bag of shredded cheese. The steak sauce and the ranch dressing were next on her list, but that wasn't what happened next. Her shopping trip went disarray when someone knocked smack dab into her cart. She looked up, expecting to see an elderly lady or a frazzled housewife, but instead, she saw a teenaged Latin girl, one that was unfortunately very familiar.

"Hola, Stacy!" Rosa exclaimed, smiling at her.

Stacy glared at her. "Hi, Rosa."

"Sorry about your cart," Rosa said, glancing down at it.

"It's fine," Stacy replied through gritted teeth.

"Having steak tonight?" Rosa asked.

Stacy nodded. "Yeah, my dad-"

"Got a new job, I heard. You know, my dad wanted it. I think they only gave it to your dad because he's white," Rosa glowered at Stacy.

"Rosa!" Stacy exclaimed. "That's awful, how could you say that?"

Rosa shrugged. "I don't know. What would Randy say about that?"

"It doesn't matter," Stacy replied, "my dad got the job, yours didn't."

Rosa shrugged. "Listen here, bitch. I know you've got a thing for Randy, but stay away from him, all right?"

Stacy glared at Rosa again. "I'll do whatever I damn well please. And from what I recall, Randy wants nothing to do with you. Or me, so we should just drop it."

Rosa opened her mouth to say something else, but Stacy's phone rang out "Legs" by Kid Rock. Randy's name flashed on the screen and she couldn't help but grin.

**I'm a bitch, aren't I? I intentionally left out a lot of characters. *Clears throat: **_**John and Torrie**_**. All (or most) of the missing characters will be in the next chapter. I wanted to stop here because I really struggled and I kind of rambled. This was in no way some of my best work. I hope no one was offended by Daniel and AJ. Just know that if you are now, keep caution because their relationship's gonna get worse before it gets better. **

** So Matt (Dashings Destiny), Cody's story line won't start to develop until Jeff, Mickie, and Maria's does. Sorry, but that's the way it is, lol. Oh, and sorry Mr. Rhodes missed out on his chance to be in the Money in the Bank match Friday. LOL, as much as I love Cody, I love Christian and Santino, too, and I HATE David Otunga. Luckily, though, he managed to beat Christian Tuesday, so he's gonna get to be in the match after all. Who knows, maybe we'll luck out and both of our guys will get title shots! **

** Also, a few people have asked me if I'm religious. The answer is yes, in fact, I'm a Baptist. I mean, I live in the Bible belt, so what do you expect, lol. But seriously, I have a lot of morals and I do try to live a good life. I will never say that I'm the perfect Christian, though, because I'm definitely not. I've used religion in my stories because of my own personal beliefs, and because I know that Torrie's a Christian, too. I don't want to make up her faith, or conceal it, either. I don't mean to offend anyone, but that's the way I am. If you don't believe the same way as I do, it's fine. I'll never shove my beliefs on you, and I'll expect the same. **

** I need you guys to help me with something. I'm trying to give everyone an enemy, you know, just like in the WWE. As you can probably tell, some of them already have enemies and I've got some planned out, but I need WAY more. Like, I'm talking A LOT MORE! LOL, so I need some suggestions. They can be legends, former superstars and divas, some that moved to TNA, whatever. I just don't want any from TNA. I watch it sometimes, but I just don't like it much. The only reason Jeff and Mickie are in this story is because they were once in the WWE, too. **

** Anyway, thanks for reading, guys! **


	12. Landslide

** So, here's some news: I am officially a Punk/AJ shipper! Tuesday, when she kissed Daniel Bryan, Punk looked so sad that I almost cried. Luckily, though, she grabbed him, kissed him, too, and left. I was so excited! That was the SECOND best kiss in WWE history, in my opinion. The best kiss for me will always be Randy and Stacy, but that's mainly because Rancy's my second favorite pairing ever. And besides, that kiss Monday didn't really count, seeing as though she shoved him through the table and all. **

** Something else: I HATE BIG SHOW! **

** That's all, enjoy the chapter! **

The month of August shot by quickly. September meant football games, which also meant that John, Randy, Dave, Adam, Ted, Cody, Punk, Evan, Hunter, Chris, and Shawn were as busy as ever. But unlike the year before, John, Ted, and Randy weren't dating cheerleaders. The Cardinals were doing considerably well, as they'd won both of the games they'd played _and_ the scrimmage game.

Not only was the football team doing well, but another group among the friends had sprouted. Jeff Hardy had a vision, and that vision was to start a band. A rock band to be exact. One stingingly hot day in August, he'd called a meeting and had expressed his idea with the others.

He'd cleared his throat and stood up. The others all stared at him. "I'm sure you're all wondering what it is you're here for. You all serve a purpose, that is, except Mickie, who's just here because she's nosy." He glanced at her, lovingly; Maria looked away.

"So," he went on, "Chris, you play guitar and sing, Lilian, you sing, Maria, you've sang back up, Lita plays the keyboard, and Matt does the drums. I can play bass. What does this tell you?"

"We're all musically enhanced?" Matt asked.

Mickie laughed. "No, no."

"I mean," Jeff said, eyeing his brother, "I want to start a band. A rock band. Wouldn't that be awesome?"

They all exchanged glances. The room was silent.

Maria spoke up first, of course. "I like the idea. I mean, I don't mind singing backup."

Lilian nodded. "Sounds great! We all have to start somewhere."

"Count me in," Lita replied, glancing at Matt.

"I don't know," Matt said, "haven't we got enough going on without this?"

Chris shrugged. "It might be all right. If I can handle this _and_ football, it'll prove a lot. Which also means that you can handle it, too, Matt. I'm in, definitely."

Jeff grinned at his friends. "Come on, Matt, you've got to now."

Matt sighed. "All right, fine. But if I start failing in my classes, then I'm out."

Matt's friends seemed to ignore his last comment, because they all cried out in excitement.

"We're gonna be in a band!" Maria exclaimed.

"Making music!" Lilian said, triumphantly.

"We're not four years old!" Mickie said, grinning slightly.

"Whatever," Jeff added, "we've got some more stuff to think about. Like, what the name's gonna be…," he trailed off.

The friends looked at each other blankly.

"The Jericho-inites?" Chris asked, grinning.

Maria snorted. "Yeah, that'll happen when Matt gets a job."

"Hey!" Matt exclaimed, "no one's hiring. Besides, I gotta focus on my-"

"School work, we know," Jeff interjected.

"I'm stumped," Lita said, "I honestly haven't got a clue to what we could name it."

"The Temptations?" Mickie asked.

"That's already a band, Micks," Lilian pointed out.

Mickie's face fell. "Oh."

Lilian smiled, thinking of Mr. McMahon. "Why don't we just call ourselves 'Ruthless Aggression?' Mr. McMahon says that that's the only way to get anywhere in life."

The rest of the group glanced at each other.

"I love it!" Lita exclaimed.

"Me, too!" Mickie and Maria agreed.

Jeff shared a look with Chris before nodding. "It's perfect."

Matt finally agreed, too. "Fine with me."

Jeff clapped his hands together. "All right, then! Let's get to work on our first song. I think it should be a cover."

And so, RuthlessAggression was born.

…

One person whose month hadn't been too great was Candice. Life at home was strange for her, thanks to her parents' bankruptcy. Her grandmother's condo was too small for the four of them. They were basically driving each other crazy, because there wasn't enough room for personal space, nor could they leave to get away from it because there wasn't enough money between them.

Her mother spent her days locked in her room watching _General Hospital_ and _Roseanne _reruns. Sometimes, Candice could hear her crying. Her father started drinking at four in the afternoon and kept on until he went to bed. He wasn't an angry drunk, just a sleepy drunk. He didn't talk much, just stared at the TV, watching _Hardcore Pawn_, _Lizard Lick Towing_, and _Call of the Wildman_. Her grandmother went to bingo on Friday nights only and the rest of the time, she cooked and cleaned like she was their maid. And then, there was Candice, who spent as much time at school as possible. When she wasn't at school, she was with Lilian.

The only solution, she'd decided was to get a job. She tried stores at the mall, working at a daycare center, and even Wal-Mart. Unfortunately, though, none of those places hired her. So, she went to her last resort.

McDonald's.

Her first day was the third Saturday in September. All she had to do was work the cash register, which she figured was simple enough. The Friday before, she'd gone to Orientation and learned that her trainer was a blond girl named Jillian Hall, who'd graduated two years before and was working her way through college.

She pushed the door open and noticed that the restaurant was very busy. Barely in the door, she noticed a very flustered-looking blond. Candice caught Jillian's eye and Jillian gave her a grateful look. She rushed over to the registers and placed the hat of her uniform on her head.

"Your total is thirteen dollars and fifty-six cents," Jillian told a bearded man.

The man took out his wallet and handed her the money.

"Thank you!" Jillian said cheerfully. Then, she turned to Candice. "Thank God you're here. The lunch rush is killing me."

Candice smiled. "Of course."

A woman with two children approached Candice's register. "Hi," Candice said, "how can I help you?"

The woman gave her an exasperated smile. "I need two chicken nugget Happy Meals and the Number One Combo."

Candice punched all of this into cash register. "Okay," Candice replied and read off her total.

"Thanks," the woman replied, leaving to wait for her food.

_This shouldn't be too bad_, Candice thought to herself.

Boy, was she ever wrong.

…

"Dad?"

"Hello, sweetie! It's so great to see you!"

Torrie's father pulled her into a hug. After the few months that she hadn't spoken to her dad, here she was seeing him again. Her mother was not going to be happy about that.

Torrie swallowed quickly before looking her father dead in his eyes. "Dad, what are you doing here?"

Her dad, luckily, wasn't insulted in the least bit. "I brought one of my favorite girls to meet my other favorite girl," he replied, smiling.

Torrie was very confused now. "What do you mean one of your favorite girls?"

Before Torrie's father could answer, Torrie saw her little brother come through her front door, looking sheepish. "Hey, sis."

Torrie ran to Matt and hugged him. "Hi, Matt!"

Gently, he tugged her off of him. She shot him a puzzled look, but he looked away to his feet.

"You guys aren't…you're not planning on staying here, are you?" Torrie asked, "'cause the house is small enough as it is, and I don't think Mom would really like it if-"

Al Wilson held his hands up. "No, no, Torrie. Don't worry, honey, we're all set up at the Merriot. We just wanted to stop by and introduce you to-"

"Hellooo!"

Torrie looked up at her door, seeing a young brunette woman wearing very expensive clothing. She was sporting Donna Karan, Calvin Klein, Gucci, _and_ Coach. There were _way _too many bracelets lacing the woman's arms and diamond studs in her ears. She smiled and took off her sunglasses.

"Dawn?" Torrie asked, staring at her old babysitter.

Dawn Marie had babysat Torrie and Matt years and years ago, and was only seven years older than Torrie. She turned eighteen in July, which meant that Dawn was twenty-five now.

"Little Torrie, is that you?" Dawn asked, running and hugging her, "you've grown up so much!"

"Yeah," Torrie grumbled, "I'm eighteen now."

"I can't believe it!" Dawn exclaimed.

Torrie gave Dawn a tight smile.

"You've always been on my mind," Dawn said, "in fact, I can't wait for us to do some bonding before the wedding!"

"The wedding?" Torrie asked, staring at Dawn.

Dawn nodded. "Al didn't tell you?" She gave Al a sexy smile. "You sneaky little devil! That's right, Torrie! I'm going to be your step-mommy!"

Torrie gasped. The only thing that was on her mind was that bottle of tequila behind her bed.

**Hi, y'all! Very short chapter, I know, but I haven't had much time this week. I've got a great plan for Lilian, Jeff, Mickie, Maria, and **_**all**_** of Torrie's parents. John and Torrie's relationship will be addressed in the next chapter, too. And, Candice's deal at work, too. Oh, and Randy and Stacy have a HUGE story line coming in the next chapter. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten about Maryse, Ted, Michelle, Miz, Cody, and Layla. Their story lines will develop after I get these out of the way, especially Cody and Layla's, because theirs is going to meld into Jeff, Mickie, and Maria's. Hope y'all enjoyed! This chapter is named after "Landslide" by Fleetwood Mac. I love the Dixie Chicks version, too, but my favorite's the Glee Cast version. I'm a huge Gleek, lol. **


	13. Savin' Me

**A quick announcement before we get into the chapter! I've only had three (and a couple halves) responses on the Jeff/Maria/Mickie situation. Two people have said Micks, two have said Maria, and two said either way. I really want y'all's feedback, because if I don't get any more suggestions, I'm just gonna do what I had planned from the start. Not that I'm gonna tell you guys what it is, though, heehee. **

** I'd like to dedicate this chapter to Therealchamps, who's fantastic! Actually, I should have done this a lot sooner, but it just now crossed my mind that I should start thanking people, lol. She was my very first reviewer on Fanfiction on my very first story and she's left a review on every single chapter I've ever written. I can't thank her enough! I can always count on there being a review from her when I open my inbox. **

** Anyway, onto the next chapter! **

Saturday morning, Jeff had a handful of flyers in his hand. Ruthless Aggression had a gig that weekend at a local grill. Every band had to start somewhere and he knew that. He wanted to make sure that everyone he knew was at their gig so that they'd get fans. Fans meant fame was closer than before.

"Hey, Jeff!"

Jeff turned around and saw his band-mate, Maria. He smiled at her and said, "hey, Ria. What's up?"

"I had to pick some stuff up for my mom at Hobby Lobby. She's really crafty. Those flyers for the gig?" she asked, eyeing the papers.

Jeff nodded. "You hit the nail right on the head," he replied, grinning.  
Maria took a deep breath. "I'm so nervous! I mean, I'm not as important as the rest of you, just backup, but I still get stage fright really easily."

Jeff frowned. "Now Maria, you know that's not true. You're just as important as the rest of us."

"I don't know about that," Maria disagreed.

Jeff made a face at her. "You are. Now say it."

Maria gave him a blank look.

He gave her a stern look and said, "I wanna hear you say it. Say that you're important. We wouldn't be Ruthless Aggression if we didn't have you. Everyone has a special role in it."

Maria giggled. It was nice to hear that Jeff thought she was important. "Okay, then! I'm as important as anyone else in Ruthless Aggression!"

Jeff nodded and smiled. "There you go."

Maria looked at Jeff again. "So, where do I take these?"

Jeff thought for a moment. "You can see if they'll put them in the window at Exxon, everyone goes there. Oh, and you take some to Copeland's."

Copeland's was the restaurant that Adam's family owned and the group often hung out there.

Maria nodded and smiled. "Sure, Jeff, I'll get right on it."

"Thanks," he replied, "you're the only one who offered to help."

Maria frowned. "Mickie didn't-"

Jeff shook his head.

Maria shrugged. "I wouldn't have known if I hadn't had ran into you."

Jeff grinned. "It doesn't matter."

It was silent between the two of them for a few short while.

"I should probably-" Maria went to say.

"Yeah," Jeff interjected, going back to the flyers.

Copeland's was right around the corner. It was a typical diner, actually. Just like the ones on television: 'The Max' on _Saved by the Bell_, 'Central Perk' on _Friends_, 'The Dot' on _Degrassi_. The flooring was silver linoleum and there were red tables and chairs, and blue and white booths. The waiters and waitresses all wore blue jeans, white polo's, and black converse. It was a fairly laidback place and usually, Maria liked it. But for some reason, she felt glum going in.

Copeland's was the place Jeff and Mickie had met, thanks to Maria. Mickie had just moved from Virginia to Florida and was a little lost in the big town. Maria had met her first thing when she'd moved in, because they lived so close together. She had made it her duty to take her under her wing and introduce her to not only the town, but the people, too.

Sometimes, Maria really regretted taking Mickie there in the first place. If she hadn't, maybe Jeff and Mickie hadn't have hit it off. Maybe _she_ and Jeff would have. Maybe _she_ would be the one dating Jeff! But when those thoughts crossed her mind, she shrugged them off. Jeff, Mickie, Maria, Lita, and Matt all lived in the same neighborhood; therefore, their paths would have eventually crossed. And, they were all in the same grade at the same school. Besides, Mickie was a gorgeous, smart, funny girl. Jeff would have noticed her-Maria or no Maria.

Still, Maria couldn't help but feel jealous and remorseful. She'd known the minute that Jeff and Mickie's eyes had met that there was something special between them.

_"Hey, Jeff!" Maria had said brightly to him that day. To this day, she was still happy when she saw him. _

_ "Hi, Maria," he replied, taking a sip of his chocolate shake and eyeing her. _

_ "Hey, Maria," Matt said, who had been with his brother that day. _

_ She smiled at him, too. "Hello, Matthew!" _

_ He grumbled a reply. He didn't like being called Matthew. _

_ Mickie had been standing shyly behind Maria. Usually very bubbly and outgoing, Mickie suddenly became reserved and timid. _

_ "Do you guys know Mickie?" she asked, patting Mickie's arm. _

_ Jeff looked closer and noticed the brunette sheepishly come out of hiding. "Can't say I have. Why, is this some sort of test?" _

_ Maria snorted with laughter. "No, silly! She's new, from Virginia and she lives in our development now. Right beside me." _

_ He frowned. "How did I miss that? Our house is on the other side of yours…," he trailed off. _

_ Mickie and Maria stared blankly at Jeff. _

_ "Oh, well," he said, shrugging, "Mickie's your name?" he asked. _

_ She nodded._

_ "Like the mouse or the song?" he asked, grinning. _

_ She grinned back. "Whichever, but I like the mouse better. The song's about a guy." _

_ He shrugged again. "The mouse is a guy, too. What about Mickey Rooney?" _

_ She chuckled. "Still a guy." _

_ Maria was slowly floating away. Somehow, it seemed that Jeff and Mickie had totally forgotten that she was in the room with them. She'd have liked to join the famous Mickey's conversation, too. Just like that, she was the smallest person in the room, still was a lot of the time. _

As Maria hung up a flyer, a tear escaped from her eye. Why was it so easy for Jeff to forget about her when she couldn't forget about even when she tried?

God knows we don't pick who we love, because Maria would have never chose Jeff, someone who hurt her that badly. The saddest part was that he didn't know. He was blinded by happiness.

Maria was blinded by despair.

…

That morning, Candice was working the breakfast rush. Scratch that, every meal was a rush in her opinion. People seemed to live off of McDonald's. The food was ordered like clockwork: coffee and a biscuit or a parfait in the morning, a sweet tea and chicken McNuggets at lunchtime, and a coke and burger and fries at dinnertime.

Saturday was Jillian's day off, which meant that Candice had to deal with the testy manager by herself. Gene Snitsky was weird; there was no doubt about that. His teeth were gross, his hair (what little he had) was disheveled, and he had the ugliest goatee that was way too long for a normal person.

"Hey, Candy!"

Candice looked up and smiled, seeing four of her friends: Matt, Lita, Ashley, and Adam. "Hey, guys! Are you guys just as McDonald's obsessed as the rest of America?"

Edge shrugged. "I guess. I need a quarter pounder, stat."

Candice grinned. "Sure thing."

"Make that four," Matt said, "my treat."

"Aww, thanks, Mat!" Lita gushed, hugging him.

"Yeah, thanks," Ashley smiled.

"Coming right up," Candice replied, punching the order into the cash register. She read Matt off the total and placed cups on the table.

"Thanks, Candy," Lita replied.

Candice nodded. "You're welcome."

"Sure you can't get us a discount next time?" Edge joked, nudging Matt.

Candice shrugged. "Maybe next time."

"And maybe not."

Candice spun around and almost smacked into the manager. "Right," she replied, "I was just kidding. I'll-"

"You'll get back to work now," Snitsky said, almost snarling.

She nodded. "R-right, I'll get back to work."

_Sorry_, Ashley mouthed to Candice.

_ It's fine, _Candice mouthed back.

The next person in her line was a man in a black suit, briefcase in hand and his cell phone pressed to his ear.

Candice smiled and began to patiently wait on the man. When he finally hung up, he glared over the menu and his eyes scanned back and forth.

"I'm ready," he said, impolitely.

"All right," Candice replied, "what can I get you?"

"I want a McRib," he replied, "with a hash brown."

Candice raised her eyebrows. "Uh…sir, we're not carrying the McRib as of now and we stop serving hash browns at ten-thirty."

The man glowered at Candice. "Did I just hear you reject my order? Where's your manager?"

She sighed. "Gene?"

Snitsky appeared at Candice's side. "What is it, Candice?"

"This young lady is refusing me service," the man replied.

"What?" Snitsky asked, "Candice, you never-"

"He wants stuff we don't have!" Candice shot back at him.

Gene glared at her. "You never decline a customer and you never _ever _interrupt me when I'm speaking to you!"

Candice could feel anger bubbling inside of her. "But he wants a McRib and a hash brown! Which, by the way, do _not_ go together."

"Get him what he wants," Gene snapped, "and do it now."

"How am I supposed to get him a McRib?" Candice asked angrily, "we don't even carry them?"

Snitsky shrugged. "That's your problem, not mine, girly."

Candice frowned as her irritation flared. "First of all, my name's Candice Michelle Beckman. Not girly, it never has been, never will be. Secondly, I don't need this shit from you," she shifted her gaze to the rude man, "or you for that matter. So, you know what?"

"What?" Snkitsky asked, almost growled.

"Fuck you," she looked over at the customer, "and fuck you! And fuck this stupid-ass job!" She threw her hat and apron at Snitksy and went to get her things.

…

CM Punk was on a mission and that mission was to buy shoes, shoes that he normally wouldn't buy. Sanuks definitely weren't his style, but he was willing to wear anything to impress Kelly. He was tired of being rejected. The smart thing, of course, to do would be to move on and find another girl, but that wasn't what he wanted to do. He was crazy about Kelly and wanted her to be his girlfriend.

He scanned the aisles of 'The Refinery,' seeing navy blue, camouflage, green, white, tan, and many other varieties of the shoes. They looked like they wouldn't last ten days, let alone the school year. He just wasn't sure about them. Was Kelly worth the shoes?

_Yes_, he thought to himself. She definitely was. She was sweet, pretty, kind, and caring. And just because she had a mainstream taste in style, it didn't mean that she was superficial, because she definitely wasn't. She just really liked to keep up with trends, which meant that Punk would, too.

So, he began debating on whether he should get the navy blue or the tan Sanuks. His eyes drifted over the two pairs over and over. Then, he saw a familiar, very short girl with brown hair standing near him.

"Hey, AJ," Punk said, glancing over at her.

She gave him a careful smile. "Hey, Punk. What's up?"

He shrugged. "Nothing much, just shoe shopping."

She grinned at him. "Really now? In the Refinery? This store doesn't really seem to be your style."

He laughed. "So, now you know my style?"

She nodded. "Tattoos and piercings…then Sanuks. Call me crazy, Punk, but that doesn't really go together. What happened to your converse?"

"Ditched them," he replied, "They had a big hole in them."

She chuckled. "So, I guess that means you're supposed to buy Sanuks?"

"Yep," he replied, "guess so."

"AJ?"

Punk looked up and saw a very angry-looking Daniel Bryan. AJ saw him, too, and a flash of fear passed over her face. This puzzled Punk.

"I-I'm over here, Daniel," she answered, skittishly.

He glared at her, and then at Punk. "Come, on! I told you to meet me at American Eagle, and where are you?"

"Th-the Refinery," she replied.

He shook his head at her and snatched her arm. "Let's go, AJ."

She nodded.

"Bye, AJ," Punk said, watching them leave.

Punk knew that there was definitely something sinister between them. And maybe it was up to him to figure it out…

…

"Dad, you're not planning on staying for dinner are you? Because I've got this thing tonight _and_ Mom's having people over…," Torrie trailed off.

"You have a thing?" Al asked Torrie, "and people over?"

Torrie nodded. "Some of my friends are in a band and they're performing. And Mom's inviting over her new friend and his kids."

Al's ears perked up, as did Matt's. "New friend? As in, boyfriend?"

Torrie shrugged. "I guess so. He's got kids, too, so she probably doesn't have enough food for everyone."

"Better him than me," Al said, "I can't handle any more kids. Luckily, Dawn doesn't want any." He reached over and pecked Dawn's lips quickly.

The sight repulsed Torrie almost to the point of her throwing up right there in the living room. "Okay…," she trailed off.

"So, we'll get out of here before your mother gets home. I don't want to explain things to her, which is why I came here while it was just you home," All declared.

Torrie raised her eyebrows. "Okay…," she trailed off again.

"Goodbye, sweetheart!" Al said, hugging her, "oh, and we'll be in touch. Matt's going back to Boise soon for school, but Dawn and I will be here to do all of the wedding plans."

"Matt's going home?" Torrie asked, looking sadly at her brother.

Al nodded. "Yes, he wants to stay with your grandparents so that he can finish up school this term in Boise. He's made lots of new friends."

Torrie thought about Matt's other friends, but ignored it and swallowed the lump in her throat. "All right, then. Make sure you come back, Matt. Mom will want to see you."

Matt nodded. "Whatever."

Torrie couldn't understand what her brother's problem was. Why was he being so distant and rude to her? She shot him another perplexed glance, but all he did was look away again.

Al hugged Torrie one more time, as did Dawn before they left. Matt didn't even bother to say goodbye.

Luckily, they were out of sight before Lana returned home. She'd been to the grocery store _and_ the salon. She'd gotten her hair freshly highlighted and her eyebrows plucked. She looked genuinely happy, a sight that Torrie hadn't seen in a long while.

"Hi, Mom," Torrie said, helping her carry in the groceries, "what's for supper?"

"Shrimp fettuccini," she replied, "I felt like Italian tonight."

Torrie smiled. "This fancy stuff wouldn't have anything to do with this new boyfriend, would it?"

Lana blushed and shook her head. "No, it wouldn't! I just…I just felt like fancy. Is that not okay?"

Her daughter chuckled. "It's fine, Momma. I straightened up the kitchen, dining room, living room, and bathroom for you. Oh, and I washed all the good china."

Lana reached over and kissed Torrie on the forehead. "Thanks, sweetie."

Torrie began to put things away. "So, when do I get to learn his name?"

Lana turned pale. "When he gets here. I want him to…to introduce himself, sweetie."

Torrie questioned her mother's face, but decided that it was best to ignore it. "Okay, then."

Lana grinned. "Let's not be nosy."

"What time is this gonna be over?" Torrie asked, eyeing her mother, "I'm going with Stacy and Randy to Jeff, Lilian, Matt, Lita, Chris, and Maria's show. I promised them all that I'd be there."

"Fairly soon," Lana replied, "one of our guest's sons wants to go, too, so I figured maybe you two could go together."

Torrie groaned. "Mo-om, I don't even know the kid and I'm supposed to go to a concert with him?"

Lana shrugged. "Hon, he goes to the same school as you. I'm sure that you'll know him."

Torrie sighed. "Whatever. If he's too awful, I'll leave him."

Lana took a deep breath. "Oh, I'm sure you'll like him…"

…

"So, what's the point of this, Dad?" Sean Cena asked his father, John Cena Sr.

John Sr. sighed. "I've told you boys a million times that I'm taking you to meet my…my friend and her daughter."

Matt and Dan exchanged knowing sneers. "She's your girlfriend, huh?"

"Not exactly," John Sr. replied, "we've just been enjoying each others' company the last few weeks. I wouldn't call that dating."

"I would," John Cena Jr. replied, "every time you talk about this woman, you grin. Oh, and you've been combing your hairpiece a lot more."

John's brothers laughed. "Yeah, Dad! Make sure you don't tell her about that toupee. Might be a turnoff," Matt exclaimed.

"And by the way, John, what would you know about girls?" Dan asked, "You've had all of two girlfriends and you're a senior. Besides, one doesn't even count because she was…Eve."

"Yuck," Sean added.

John rolled his eyes. "Shut up, idiots. And I know a hell of a lot more than you three."

"Watch your mouth, son," Mr. Cena chimed in.

"Sorry, Dad," John replied.

John hadn't told anyone about his kiss with Torrie in his bedroom but Randy. And he was pretty sure if Torrie told anyone, it was Stacy. Actually, they hadn't talked much since it, either. They'd kissed and Torrie left and that was it. He knew that if he was ever to get back with Torrie, it was going to be in a long time. There was so much history and drama between them that they still had a lot to get through.

"We're here!" Mr. Cena announced, pulling into a too familiar driveway.

John raised his eyebrows. "But, Dad…this is Torrie's house."

John Sr. nodded.

"So…your girlfriend is Torrie's mom?" John exclaimed.

The rest of the Cena boys were too shocked to say anything.

John was certain that this was the weirdest thing that had ever occurred in his life, hands down.

His ex-girlfriend's mom was dating his father.

**I bet none of you guys saw that coming, lol. Actually, I debated left and right over whether or not to put that in, but I finally decided that it would be a nice hook. The next chapter will lead into Ruthless Aggression's first show and a whole LOT is gonna happen then. I won't say too much, because I don't wanna spoil it. I hope none of you Mickie/Jeff fans are disappointed in me for the whole Maria thing, but that's been the plan from the start. All I can do is apologize and if you don't like it, you don't have to read it. **

** What did you guys think about Candice's getting fired/quitting? What do you think is gonna happen to her next? Do you like the idea of this story line? Tell me in a review, please? **

** I have a question, guys! I need some songs for Ruthless Aggression to perform. Now, keep in mind that they are a rock band. Chris Jericho will be singing the male lead and Lilian Garcia the female. The other members of the band may perform later on (I already have a plan for Maria), but as of now, they are the leads. Now, remember, if you wanna see a certain song, just leave it in a review or in a PM, but I'd rather in a review. If I don't know the song, it'll be okay, I'll just look it up. If I get a certain amount, then I'll just put them in chapters to come.**

** Thanks so much for reading! This chapter is named after Nickelback's Savin' Me. Gosh, I just love Nickelback! Expect a lot of them when the concert comes around! **


	14. Lights

**Oh my God, guys! Y'all are the very, very best! I can't believe all of the feedback I received in **_**one**_** day! I was totally blown away by all of my new reviewers. Taylor, LitasaultStratusfaction, and others, you guys are amazing! I'm also glad that you all have an opinion on the Mickie/Jeff/Maria situation. I know exactly what I'm doing now, so thanks for that! Oh, and for all the songs. I'm planning lots of Nickelback (how I love them!) and Maroon 5 (I love them, too!). I'm not sure which songs Lilian's gonna sing yet, but I'll figure it out. **

** Oh, and I wanna dedicate this chapter to my friend, Matt (Dashings Destiny), my Cody/Layla shipper! His stories are all great and a lot of them involve Jorrie, so that's a plus, lol. Let's see…Broken Dreams of Evil, Hell Hath No Fury, The Evil of the Soul, WWE African Adventure, The Soldier of the Kingdom…the list just goes on and on! **

** Well, enough of my crap, onto the chapter! **

"Are you ready yet, Stace?" Randy asked Stacy that evening.

"Almost," Stacy replied, sliding earrings into her earlobes.

Randy sighed. "I've been here for almost two hours waiting on your slow ass. And I'm just about-"

At that moment, the bathroom door swung open and Stacy stepped out. The way she looked literally took Randy's breath away. Stacy knew it, too, and smirked at him. She was dressed in a busty purple top, a blue jean mini skirt with a studded belt; black knee high boots, a spiked bracelet, and a necklace with a treble clef on it. Her hair was nice and straight and her makeup was a bit more over-the-top than usual, but hey, she was going to a rock concert. Regardless, she looked drop dead gorgeous.

"Not too shabby?" Stacy asked, grinning at Randy.

He shook his head. "Nope."

Stacy reached over and shut his mouth. "Pick that jaw up off the floor, Mr. Orton. I'm sure there will plenty of hotter girls than me there and you can have your way with them."

Randy laughed. "No, no, no. I'm not a whore, Stacy."

Stacy gave him a hard look. "Excuse me? If you look up 'whore' in the thesaurus, your name will be right there beside it."

Randy shrugged. "Oh, well. Perhaps you're right, perhaps you're not."

"The world will never know?" Stacy added.

"Right," he replied, "I'm a mystery to all women."

"Actually," Stacy corrected, "all women but me, Torrie, and your mom."

Randy grinned, and the dimple in his chin became visible. "That _is _true," agreed, "one does not bite the hand that feeds him."  
Stacy laughed. "Now the question is, are _you_ ready to go?"

He nodded. "I'm as ready as ever."

Randy was clad in a green 3 Doors Down shirt, dark Hollister jeans, and white Shaq's. On his wrist was a black watch and the little hair he had was combed and did not appear messy for once.

Stacy nodded in approval. "You look nice."

"Nice?" Randy asked, taking Stacy's arm, "I thought you liked me? Aren't you supposed to think I'm hot?"

Stacy chuckled. "I'm over that, stupid. You look nice, plain and simple."

Randy and Stacy, unlike Torrie and John, _had _sorted everything out. Soon after Randy apologized, he and Stacy had a long conversation about what was going on between them. Finally, they decided to just be friends, with Randy still acknowledging Stacy's feelings. She promised not to be so touchy and he promised not to use her. It was a good agreement, per se, but Stacy still had the issue of being in love with him.

But maybe, everything would turn out okay.

…

Stephanie drove down Pine Avenue, on the way to pick up Kelly for the gig. Thanks to her parents, she had a bright and shiny new Mustang. It was dark blue and had tinted windows. Stephanie absolutely adored it.

The houses on this street were gorgeous, for sure. All of the grass was a deep green; there were white picket fences everywhere with white houses. Pools in the backyard, and painted shutters were also not unusual. One of the houses had a red mailbox with the name 'Laurer' in black lettering. She could only wonder if that was Miss Laurer's house.

Being the nosy girl she was, she pulled over and took a look. In the driveway, there was a red Chrysler, which Stephanie knew Miss Laurer drove. Stephanie nodded. _Yep, this is Miss Laurer's house_.

Suddenly, she noticed the front door of the house swing open. Out stepped a buff guy with long hair in a ponytail. He was grinning widely, showing a full-toothed smile. He was dressed in jeans and a black t-shirt.

Stephanie definitely recognized him. It was Paul Levesque, aka Hunter, the guy who'd been bothering her the last few months. But, what was he doing coming out of Miss Laurer's house? And what had he been doing that day after class?

The youngest McMahon sped off, afraid that Hunter might see her. But _good God, _she thought to herself, _I knew that Hunter was hot for Miss Laurer, but is she hot for him, too? _

Whatever it was, Stephanie was going to get to the bottom of it. And that meant confronting Hunter.

…

Candice was still fuming as she drove herself home. She'd told Jeff earlier that she probably wouldn't be able to make it to the show, but it looked like she could now.

God, what was she going to do now? Her family desperately needed the money that she was making at McDonald's. How was she going to tell her parents that she'd quit? They'd been so thrilled when she told them about her new job and so proud of her.

She had three options, she decided. One, she could just tell them the truth. Two, she could lie and say she still had the job. Or three, she could get another job. The first one would be really hard on her _and _her parents. The second would be complicated. If she were to lie, where would she get the money? The third made the most sense. Exactly! She would get a new job. That was the _only_ thing that she could do. She decided right then and there that she would stop at the first 'Help Wanted' sign.

Sure enough, she noticed a building that was lit up with pink and purple lights. The help wanted sign was outlined with lime green fur. The place was called 'Wicked.' Candice had never been to this place before, but she figured that it was a clothing store.

She pushed the doors open and saw that it was definitely not a clothing store. There were men everywhere, sitting down and throwing money. There was a stage with a pole in the middle of it, where two scantily clad blonds were grinding together on it. Obviously, it was a strip joint.

Candice backed away slowly, bumping into someone. She turned around, seeing a girl with black hair. "I'm sorry, excuse me."

"Can I help you?" the girl asked, smiling.

Candice shook her head quickly. "N-no, I just…I just got the wrong directions. I'll…I'll go now."

"Are you sure? Did you not come here because of the help wanted sign?"

Candice didn't answer.

The girl gave her a wan look. "Well, if you need anything, I'm Maxine. I'd be happy to help."

Candice just glanced around the room.

Maxine sighed, gave Candice one more look, and walked away.

Candice thought for another moment. "Wait!" she called out.

Maxine turned around and smiled. "Yeah?"

"Who do I talk to?"

…

Ding Dong!

Torrie ran to answer the door. "Momma, he's here!"

"I'll be there in a second, honey!" Lana yelled to her daughter.

Torrie sighed, opening the door. When she opened it, she found herself face to face with John Cena _Sr_.

She raised her eyebrows and her jaw dropped.

John Sr. smiled. "Hey, there, Torrie! How have you been?"

Torrie smiled, too. "I've been all right. You?"  
"Great!"

"Well, come on in," Torrie replied.

He nodded. Following him in were Sean, Matt, Dan, and…John.

"Hey, Torrie!" Dan and Matt both yelled.

"Hey, guys," she welcomed them, flashing her bright smile.

Sean waved, looking behind him, at the second oldest Cena brother.

John Cena _Jr_. came in and gave Torrie a pallid smile. Regardless, it still took Torrie's breath away. She still loved him so much and she could only wonder if he loved her, too.

John's father and brothers all went into the kitchen to greet Lana, leaving him and Torrie alone.

"Well, this isn't weird at all, is it?" John asked Torrie, cracking a smile.

She shook her head. "Not a bit."

He sighed and ran his hand over his head. "Guess this means we're going to the show together, huh?"

Torrie shrugged. "Looks like it. But, we've gotta get through this awkward dinner first."

John nodded. "Yeah, I guess it will be awkward."

They shared a glance.

"You wanna sit down?" Torrie asked, gesturing to the blue sofa.

"Sure," John replied.

Torrie led him over to the couch and they sat down beside one another. "So, did you ever tell your dad about…about the baby?"

John nodded. "Yeah, I did, but just him and Randy. My brothers kind of pieced it together, though. Mom, too." John gave her a look.

Torrie knew that he wanted to know how much of her family knew about her pregnancy. "My whole family knew. Dad wanted me to get an abortion, but I wouldn't have it. Mom said she'd help me, but my brothers…," she trailed off.

"Your brothers what?" John asked.

They both knew that it was high time they talk about the baby and the pregnancy, in depth. It affected both of them immensely, and while a lot of people offered them sympathy, they could only get true empathy from one another.

Torrie shrugged and began to braid a strand of her blond hair. "They looked at me differently. I truly felt a whore."

This was a huge chunk of the reason why John comparing her to Eve had upset her so much. She got enough of that shit at home without having to take it from John, too.

John's heart wrenched at Torrie's words. "Tor, I'm so sorry-"

She shook her head. "Don't. Listen, I just want to wipe the slate completely clean, okay? Now, I don't mean I want to forget about the baby because I can't and I never will. I just want us to be friends again."

John nodded. "Me, too."

They smiled at one another.

"John? Torrie?"

They looked up and saw Torrie's mother, Lana standing before them, grinning.

"Yeah?" Torrie asked.

"The food's ready," Lana said, still beaming.

"Okay," Torrie replied.

Together, John and Torrie headed to eat dinner.

…

Jeff was at D's Grill and Steakhouse in the room behind the stage, bass guitar in hand, tuning it. As he was doing this, the lyrics to "Use Somebody" by Kings of Leon was playing through his head. They were planning on playing it that night.

"_You know that I could use somebody, you know that I could use somebody. Someone like you_," he sang out loud.

Jeff heard a giggle and turned around. There, he saw Maria with a big smile on her face and her hand clapped over her mouth. He turned bright red.

"I'm assuming you heard that?" Jeff asked, staring down at his bass.

Maria shrugged. "Afraid so," she replied.

Jeff grinned at her. "So, what's up, Ria?"

She shrugged and dragged a stool over beside Jeff. She sighed and said, "I don't know, Jeff. I'm just not sure about this. I mean, I'm shy enough as it is…besides, I get stage fright. Plus, I have fear of opinion and-

"Maria!" Jeff interjected, "calm down!"

Maria took a deep breath. "Oh…okay."

"Look," Jeff said, giving her a hard stare, "you're a great singer. Give yourself some credit. I mean, obviously, I think you're good. If I didn't, I wouldn't have picked you for the band, would I?"

Maria blushed and shrugged. "I don't know…," she trailed off.

"I do," Jeff said, "now, are you okay?"

"Yeah," Maria said, "at least I'm not singing by myself."

"Right," Jeff said, grinning.

This was when Maria finally realized that she was tired of hiding how she felt from everyone. It wasn't fair to her, Mickie, or Jeff, for that matter. "Jeff, there's something I need to tell you," Maria said, breathing in deeply.

Suddenly, the door swung open and in stepped Mickie. "Hey, guys!" she said happily, running up and hugging Maria.

"Hey, Micks!" Jeff said just as happily. He leaned over and kissed her.

And Maria just couldn't say what she felt.

**Well, I know that these last few chapters have been short, but I've had some serious writer's block. I'm excited, though! John Cena won his Money in the Bank Match and I'm sure that he'll win at the 1000****th**** episode. Oh my God, I can't wait for that! I love, love, love DX and they're kicking it off! I haven't seen a wedding on RAW since Edge and Lita's, but I'll be seeing AJ and Daniel Bryan's. Which, I'm not sure how I feel about, since I ship for AJ and CM Punk. **

** I'm sure a lot of you are pissed at me, because you're seeing less and less of Edge, Lita, Matt, Cody, Ashley, Layla, Trish, Chris, and Christian, but they're coming in the next few chapters. Oh, and I finally know what to do with Jeff/Mickie/Maria, so if you get mad about that, I apologize. However, keep in mind, this **_**is**_** my story. Ultimately, the final decision is mine. **

** Oh my God! I'm going to a RAW house show on Saturday in Little Rock. I've been to one house show and it was Smackdown and ECW, which means I've never seen John Cena. But I will Saturday and I can't wait. I'm afraid I'm gonna cry or throw up or worse. But if I do, I guess my brother will have to help me pick up the shattered pieces of my pride. He's gonna be in a steel cage match with Big Show. I'm sure he'll win. Also, I'll see Kane VS CM Punk VS Daniel Bryan for the WWE championship. I can't wait to see Santino Marella and Brodus Clay, too.**

** Look out for lots of Nickelback in the next chapter. Also, Creed, 3 Doors Down, Mayday Parade, Three Days Grace, and maybe some Lifehouse and The Fray. We'll see what happens. **

** This chapter's named for Ellie Goulding's "Lights." **

** Thanks so much for reading, guys! Oh, and just pray that I don't get arrested for jumping into the ring to help John Cena Saturday! **

** Updates will be soon! **

** Peace, love, and Cena...**

** Love, Kalina**


	15. Wish You Were Here

**I'm not sure when I'll update again because I've got an uber busy week coming up. Tuesday, I went to my cousin's first birthday party. It was a pool party and a lot of fun, but I stepped off the side of the **_**short**_** diving board and skinned up my knee really bad. Wednesday and Thursday are still open, but Friday, I'm going to help pick out a cake and decorations for my aunt's bridal shower. I'm not totally sure how that's gonna go. I'm going with my cousin and my aunt's friend (who was my teacher in eighth grade). That's not the part I'm worried about; the part that worries me is that she finds Randy Orton more attractive than John Cena. Oh, and my cousin loves the WWE, too, so I'm sure I know what we'll be talking about, lol. And y'all already know that Saturday is my first RAW live event. I'm probably gonna be bored Sunday. **

** The good news is that I go back to school on August 2****nd****, which means I'll be online a lot more. Hopefully, I'll update more, too, because I'll have internet and I'll be able to research, lol. **

** Well, enough of my crap. Enjoy the chapter!**

** Oh, and look out for a brand new face in this chapter. **

The stage was set. Everyone was pumped and ready to go. The grill was full of eager listeners. The entire band was full of adrenaline…and nervousness. This was their first actual gig and they wanted it to be perfect.

Lilian stood behind the curtains, peeking. Her best friend, Candice saw her, grinned, and blew her a kiss. Lilian grinned back, winking at her.

"Lil, what are you doing?" Lilian's backup singer asked.

Lilian snapped the curtains shut and flashed an embarrassed smile at Maria. "Uh…just checking out the crowd."

"There's a lot of people?" Maria asked, playing with a piece of her reddish-brown hair.

Lilian shrugged. "No, not really," she lied.

"Is everyone here?" Lita asked, coming up behind them.

Lilian nodded. "I saw Candice, Stacy, Torrie, John, Randy, Ted, Cody, Maryse, Ashley, Trish, Edge, Kelly, Stephanie, Punk, Evan, Shawn, Hunter, everybody."

"Plus more?" Lita asked.

Lilian replied, "Yep."

Maria took a deep breath. "Oh, God. I sure as hell don't know about this."

Lilian and Lita both leaned over and gave her a squeeze. "You're going to be fine, hon."

Maria glued a smile on her face. "R-right, I know."

Matt, Jeff, and Chris all came over.

"Show's about to start, ladies," Chris said, putting his arm around Lita.

She gave him an amused look. "Paws off, Jericho."

"Yeah," Matt said through gritted teeth.

Jeff laughed. "Calm down, big bro. We can't have our _male_ lead singer dead."

The owner of the grill, D-Von Dudley, appeared. "Are you all ready?"

The group exchanged a glance.

Jeff, being the undisputed leader, spoke first. "Sure are, Mr. Dudley."

D-Von smiled. "All right, then. Go out there and break a leg. Remember, this is all on you guys."

Matt took a deep breath, snatched Lita's hand, and gave it a squeeze. She looked up at him and smiled. "Good luck, baby," she whispered.

"Ditto," he replied, grinning.

Chris inhaled and exhaled. As the male lead singer of the group, he was basically leading the band. This was a lot of pressure on him, but he was ready.

D-Von stepped in front of the curtain. "Hello, everyone! We've got quite a treat for all of you. Tampa's own 'Ruthless Aggression' is here to perform until eleven o'clock. Please welcome, 'Ruthless Aggression!"

The crowd applauded, while their friends went crazy screaming. The curtains spread apart, revealing the group.

Maria's heart was pounding like crazy. The huge crowd was making her very nervous. Jeff seemed to take notice and placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at hi and grinned. Her uneasiness floated away slowly.

Jeff then grabbed a microphone and started speaking. "How are all of you guys, tonight?"

Everyone screamed back, excitedly.

"That's great!" He walked over and put his arm around Chris, and said "this is Chris Jericho, our male lead singer and guitarist."

"Go Chris!" Adam and Ashley yelled loudly along with the rest of the guys.

Chris flashed a goofy smile at the crowd. He caught Trish's eye and she was forced to look away. Sadly, he did, too.

"And this fiery redhead is Lita, our keyboardist!" Jeff introduced Lita.

"Lita!" Torrie, Stacy, Candice, Maryse, and Mickie all exclaimed.

Jeff put his arm around his brother. "This is Matt Hardy. Sadly, he's my brother and our drummer."

All the guys whistled.

"This little blond is Lilian Garcia, our other lead singer," Jeff said, putting his arm around her, too.

"Go Lilian!" Stacy, Torrie, Candice, Stephanie, Kelly, and everyone else screamed.

Maria knew she was next. Jeff went a step further with her, though. He hugged her and said, "And no band is complete without a lovely little backup singer. This is Maria Kanellis!"

Mickie, Kelly, Stephanie, and all the girls cheered.

"And finally, there's me. I'm Jeff Hardy and I play bass. Hopefully, you all enjoy the night!"

Their friends all yelled for them as they started playing their first song: "It's Not My Time" by 3 Doors Down.

John, Randy, Dave, Shawn, Hunter, Edge, and most of the other guys yelled out, "yeah!"

Chris sang every word perfectly and crystal clear. He was really getting into the music, as were all of his band mates. The music had taken over and now they were having the time of their life.

"They're awesome!" Hunter said to Shawn.

"Yeah, they are," Shawn agreed.

They were sitting at a table with Dave, Punk, Candice, Stephanie, and Kelly. Everyone was split up at different tables that were very close together. Next to their table were Cody, Ted, Maryse, Evan, Edge, Trish, and Ashley. Next to theirs were John, Torrie, Randy, and Stacy. There were some free seats at the table, but everyone had decided to give the four of them privacy.

_There might be more than you believe. _

_ There might be more than you believe. _

_ There might be more than you can see. _

_ But I won't go. _

_ Oh, no I won't go down. _

_ Yeah._

Ruthless Aggression finished their first song and was met with an outstanding applause.

"Thank you!" Jeff said into his microphone, "our next song is probably one you know. It's going to be sung by our female lead, Lilian Garcia!"

The music began and Lilian started to sing.

"_I can be tough._

_ I can be strong. _

_ But with you, it's not like that at all. _

_ There's a girl that gives a shit behind this wall. _

_ You just walked through it. _

_ And I remember all those crazy things we said, you left them running through my head. _

_ You're always there, you're everywhere, but right now, I wish you were here. _

_ All those crazy things we did, didn't think about it, just went with it. You're always there, you're everywhere, but right now, I wish you were here." _

All the girls in the crowd knew exactly what Lilian was singing: Avril Lavigne's "Wish You Were Here." As she drifted into the chorus, all of the girls began singing with her.

_Damn, damn, damn. _

_ What I'd do to have you here, here. _

_ I wish you were here._

_ Damn, damn, damn._

_ What I'd do to have you near, near, near._

_ I wish you were here. _

Lilian had a beautiful voice that was for sure. Everyone in the crowd thought so. Be that as it may, there was someone in the crowd who really thought so. Something sinister was in the air and no one could sense it. A plan was forming and it wasn't good.

He watched her sing, he watched her move. He'd seen her before, many times. But her beautiful, angelic voice was enough to drive him completely insane, if he wasn't already there. He took a sip of his root beer and nodded. Already, he had in his mind what he had to do.

And it definitely wasn't good.

The band finished the song and Chris grabbed a microphone. "This next song is for one of our friends. He's weirdly obsessed with Three Days Grace."

John looked up and grinned.

They started playing "I Hate Everything About You" and everyone was getting pumped up.

_Every time we lie awake after every hit we take. _

"Hey, Kells," Punk said while the song was playing.

"Yeah?" she asked, taking a drink of Coca-Cola.

"Wanna dance?" he asked, grinning.

She grinned back. "But no one else is dancing."

He shrugged. "So…," he trailed off.

She didn't answer.

"Aw, come on, Kelly. What have you got to lose? You're not studying at the moment." He smirked, knowing he had her.

She sighed. "All right, then. What can it hurt?"

He grinned, took her hand, and led her to the dance floor.

Candice watched the two of them leave. "What about it, Dave?" Candice asked, "Wanna dance with me?"

Dave almost couldn't believe his ears. So much in fact, that he didn't answer.

"Well?" she asked again, "I won't bite, I promise."

He smiled. "Sure, I gotta warn you, though. I'm an awful dancer."

"Oh well," she replied, "you'll be fine."

Dave happily followed her.

By now, more and more couples were up and dancing: Edge and Ashley, Ted and Maryse, Daniel and AJ, Brie and Dolph, Jack and Nicki, Cody and Mickie (since Cody was single and Mickie's boyfriend was onstage), Kofi Kingston and Alicia Fox, and Melina Perez and John Morrison. Eve was dancing with Zack Ryder and was looking longingly at John. Rosa was dancing with Alberto del Rio, and was glaring toward Stacy and Randy. Even Santino Marella had found a dance partner in Beth Phoenix.

"I'm gonna go talk to John and Randy," Shawn excused himself. Really, he was just going to leave Stephanie and Hunter alone.

Hunter shifted his gaze to Stephanie and smirked. "So, Steph, how's life been?"

Stephanie shrugged. "It's been all right. How's Miss Laurer?" She gave him a knowing glance.

Hunter paled as their friends began playing "Everybody Talks" by the Neon Trees. It was a very appropriate song for that moment.

"Wh-what are you talking about?" he asked.

She put her hand on her hips and glared at him. "Don't pretend like you don't know, _Paul_. Go ahead, tell me."

He sighed. "Listen, Steph, there's nothing going on between Chyna and I," he replied. Instantly, he closed his eyes. Hopefully, Stephanie hadn't noticed.

She did.

"Chyna?" Stephanie asked, "I was talking about Miss Laurer. I don't know who the hell you're talking about."

He exhaled. "Stephanie, I can't tell you anything. And do you know why?"

She shrugged, awaiting his answer.

"Because, you're dad's the _superintendent_. He runs this school. Not only that, but your mom's president of the school board."

Stephanie couldn't help but smile. "Okay, Hunter, I promise I won't tell anyone what you say. You've got my word." She crossed her fingers and put them over her chest.

"Swear on those five-hundred dollar boots," he said, pointing at Stephanie's black boots.

She smiled wider. "I swear. Now, who's Chyna?"

He took a deep breath, inhaled, and exhaled. Then, he nodded. "Well, Chyna's…Chyna is Miss Laurer. That's what I call her."

Stephanie bit back a giggle. "So…what is this? Is she tutoring you?"

He shrugged. "You could call it that."

Stephanie's jaw dropped. "Way to make it graphic, Hunter."

"What?" he asked, "Stephanie, I'm the Game! This shouldn't shock you."

Stephanie's snorted. "Hon, you got that name because you won an unofficial Call of Duty tournament at Punk's house."

"Yeah, well, I beat Dave in the final round, so I deserved it," he grinned at her.

"So, let me get this straight," Stephanie said, pushing hair out of her eyes, "you and," she lowered her voice, "Miss Laurer are having an affair and you call her Chyna."

He nodded. "Yeah, and she calls me 'The King of Kings.'

She stared blankly at him.

"What?"

Stephanie shook her head. "There are so many things wrong with this conversation. I don't understand the 'King of Kings' thing, though."

"Well," he said, smirking, "I'm the king of the bed-"

"Stop!" Stephanie interrupted, "I get it!"

He stared at her. "Now, you can't tell anyone about this, all right?"

She nodded. "I promise you, Hunter. But I think you're gonna owe me before this is over."

"Oh?" he asked.

She nodded.

"What do I owe you?" he questioned with a puzzled look on his face.

The music to "Payphone" was drifting into the grill.

"I made Lita promise to play this song. It's my favorite, so come on. I wanna dance," she smirked at him.

He smirked back, took her hand, and they left to dance.

…

"All right, Orton, you've spent enough time sitting. I wanna see how the Viper can move when he's not on the football field," Stacy declared, grabbing Randy's hand and grinning at him.

He gave Stacy a lazy glance. "I don't know if that would be good for my reputation," he defended. "You know, I'm pretty macho. Macho guys don't dance."

Stacy rolled her eyes playfully. "Look around. Cody, Ted, Hunter, Edge, Dave, Punk, and Shawn are all dancing. We look like idiots just sitting here."

John and Torrie laughed, watching Stacy and Randy argue. Sometimes, they acted like an old married couple, even though they weren't together.

"Technically," Randy said, "Shawn isn't dancing. He's just gliding through the dance floor like an idiot."

Torrie giggled and stood up. "Hey, Shawnie!" she called out to him.

Shawn looked up and jogged over to where Torrie stood. "Yeah?"

"Why are you dancing all by yourself?" she questioned.

The real reason was that the girl that he wanted to dance with was unavailable. But, there was no way he was telling Torrie that.

He shrugged. "I don't know. Why aren't you dancing?"

Torrie shrugged. "I don't know," she smiled at her longtime friend, "do you wanna dance?"

He grinned. "Sure!" Then, he thought twice about it. He glanced over at John, who nodded.

Though John and Torrie were no longer together, everyone still wondered about them, including Shawn.

Shawn and Torrie began to dance as Lilian and Chris began their first duet: Seether and Amy Lee's "Broken."

"Lil's really good," Torrie said to Shawn as they danced. He wasn't great, but Torrie was enjoying his funny dancing.

He nodded. "Uh-huh. So's Chris, I just wish they'd play "Sexy Boy."

Torrie laughed. "Shawn, I don't think they will."

"Sexy Boy" was a song that Shawn had written and recorded years earlier. He loved it, but he was probably the only one.

…

Evan watched everyone dance, especially Punk and Kelly. He couldn't help but feel jealous. _He'd _been her first friend when she moved there. Not Punk. _He'd _been there for her when her ex-best friend, Eve, humiliated her in front of the school. Not Punk. _He'd _introduced her to her new best friend, Stephanie. Not Punk.

So why was she dancing with him and not Evan? Simply enough, he'd asked her. That's all it took. That wasn't what he wanted, though. She'd told him the day before that she didn't have time for a relationship and he respected that. But what he could not respect was CM Punk worming his way in there, anyway. He'd had a crush on Kelly since she moved to Tampa, and he'd never had feelings that strong before. He'd vowed to ask her out, but CM Punk set his eyes on her, too. The sad thing was that Punk could more than likely get any girl he wanted. And the one girl he wanted was the same ne that Evan wanted.

So, he sat alone. He watched longingly as everyone else danced. Even Shawn had managed to find a partner. He was dancing happily with Torrie, with John approvingly looking on. If it was anyone else, John probably would have gotten mad, but since it was Shawn, he didn't mind.

Evan took a drink of his peach iced tea and sighed. Soon, he was face to face with a pretty Korean girl, who was smiling at him.

"Hi," she said.

He smiled at her. "Hey, you new here?"

She nodded. "Yes, I moved here just this morning. I came here to meet some people before I start school Monday."

He gestured toward the seat in front of him. "Go ahead, sit down. I'm Evan Bourne and you are…," he trailed off searching for an answer.

"I'm Gail Kim," she replied, "what do you think of the band? I love this song."

Ruthless Aggression was playing Flyleaf's "All Around Me."

He grinned. "They're great. They're also some of my friends."

"Really?" she asked, "I've always wanted to be in a band, but I have zero musical talent." She giggled.

Evan laughed, too. "Me neither. So what grade are you gonna be in, Gail?"

"I'm a senior," she replied.

"Me, too," he said excitedly.

"Great!" she beamed, "you think you could show me around Monday morning before school starts?"

"I'd be honored," he replied, "but first, why don't we dance?"

She nodded. "That sounds great!"

Perhaps it was time for Evan to forget all about Kelly Blank.

**I have officially ended my writer's block. I don't know how, but I did, lol. Like I said, thanks so very much for all of the feedback! So, what do you think of Evan and Gail? I give props to Legsxrko for that idea. I was already planning on doing that story line, just needed a diva. Now, I have one! Yes, technically, she's a knockout, but since she's faded from TNA to WWE too many times to count, I think she matters. I've never liked her very much at all, but maybe I'll like her in the story. **

** Now, I've got something to say: I hate some of my characters. When I first started writing, I liked Kelly, didn't like Maria, and loved Mickie, but now I hate Mickie with a fiery passion. I don't know why, but I do. Kelly's all right, I guess, but I don't like her on TV. I loved Maria when I was younger, and then developed a hatred for her, but now that I'm writing about her, I love her again. I finally know what I'm doing with the Mickie/Jeff/Maria story line now, so thanks, y'all. And just because I don't like Mickie doesn't mean she won't end up with Jeff, because she might. And she might not. **

** How about Candice? She's desperate, obviously, if she's thinking about working at a strip club, lol. I've got a great plan for that and for her best friend, Lilian! So, do you guys have half a clue who Lilian's admirer is? I bet you all are thinking the same thing, so hopefully, I can shock you. **

** I named this chapter after Avril Lavigne's "Wish You Were Here," which is the first song Lilian sang. I love that song. I know I've used "Broken" multiple times, but it's one of my top five favorite songs EVER! It's number two on that list, lol. **

** Well, I hope you all enjoyed! Leave me a nice review; I work hard for you guys. Oh, and look out for lots of Trish (despite the fact that she annoys me) and Lita in the next chapter! **


	16. La La Land

**Guys, I went to my RAW house show. It was in a word AMAZING! I saw Brodus Clay, Santino Marella, R-Truth, Kofi Kingston, Zack Ryder (woo, woo, woo!), Miz, Tyson Kidd, and others. My favorite, though, was JOHN CENA! My brother and I were on the third row, so we could see really well. But, my damn camera ran out of battery before Cena even got out! I was NOT happy about that. Of course, he beat Big Show, but John Laurinaitis tried to help Big Show and attacked John at the end. Why Lauriniaitis was there? Your guess is as good as mine. I think it was because he was already scheduled for it. But anyway, Cena got on the turnbuckle right in front of me after he won, and he looked straight at me and smiled! I thought I was gonna throw up from excitement. Just so you guys know, he **_**is **_**MUCH hotter in person. And a bit more pink-faced, lol. His hair is just as short as I imagined, it, too. My God, I wanted to jump on him. I might have if there weren't so many people in front of me.**

** Enough of my crap, onto the chapter. **

"Thanks, guys!" Jeff exclaimed, "We're gonna take a short intermission and then we'll be right back for another two hours of music!"

The crowd cheered as the band went backstage.

"That was awesome!" Chris did a fist pump.

Maria, Lilian, and Lita laughed. "And we've still got two more hours," Lita reminded him.

"That's true," Matt pointed out, pointing his drum sticks at Chris.

Jeff laughed. "I wonder if we impressed the crowd," he thought out loud.

"I should say so," Lilian replied, "I mean, they were on their feet the whole time!"

Maria giggled. "Did you see Torrie and Shawn dancing?"

"That was too funny!" Lita replied.

"Who was that Asian girl that Evan was with?" Chris asked.

Matt shrugged. "Maybe he's finally gotten over Kelly. I mean, she did dance with Punk most of the time."

"I still can't believe Dave got Candice to dance," Jeff interjected.

"And that Hunter and Stephanie danced!" Maria said.

Truly, it had been a surprising night.

"That was great, guys!" D-Von said, coming in.

"Thanks," Jeff replied, being the leader.

D-Von was very excited at Ruthless Aggression's success. "Yeah, if you guys keep this up, you'll have a weekly gig."

The group was silent. They certainly hadn't expected that.

"Really?" Chris asked, excitedly.

"Really," D-Von nodded, "Enjoy your break. You're back on in ten minutes."

When D-Von was out of earshot, the group exploded with enthusiasm.

"Did you guys hear that?" Jeff asked, "We might get a weekly slot! That'd be so epic!"

Lita nodded in agreement. "Maybe we'll even get a record deal," she said livelily.

"Maybe," Matt said, "and maybe not."

Maria smiled. "Ever the pessimist."

"Look," he said, "I don't need to be famous right now. I just wanna make it through school. No extracurricular aspirations for me, toots."

Everyone laughed.

Ruthless Aggression was given water and they all took a bathroom break. By then, some of their friends were pouring in to tell them how great they were doing. Edge, Trish, and Ashley came to congratulate Matt and Lita, Mickie for Jeff and Maria, Ted, Cody, and Evan for Chris and Jeff, and Candice and Stacy and Torrie for Lilian.

"That was fantastic, baby!" Mickie yelled, planting a kiss on Jeff, "This was a great idea!" Maria tried very hard to look away and not be envious–to no avail.

While Stacy and Candice were gushing over Lilian, Torrie pushed through the crowd and approached Maria, who was off in a corner by herself, almost as if she wanted to distance herself from the rest of the band. Maria's face was down, she was obviously upset about something.

"Hey Maria," Torrie said softly.

Maria pasted on a smile and aimed it at Torrie. Maria really liked Torrie, but she was too upset to give _anyone_ a genuine smile.

Unless it was Jeff Hardy.

"Hi Torrie," Maria replied, "enjoying the show?"

Torrie nodded. "You bet! I loved 'Happily Ever After,'" Torrie complimented, referring to the He is We song.

"Yeah," Maria blushed, "Lilian did great on that one."

"You, too," Torrie insisted, "you know, you should talk to Jeff about you singing a few songs by yourself. I really liked hearing you on 'Wish You Were Here.'"

Maria blushed more furiously. "You really think so?"

Torrie nodded. "You're great, Ria. Really, I seriously think that you should try to do some solos. You've got yourself a fan, Miss Kanellis."

Maria laughed. "Well, thanks, Miss Wilson. I'm honored to have you as a fan."

Torrie smiled, watching Maria look away...straight at Jeff. Torrie's smile left her face as she watched Maria watch Jeff. What was going on there?

"Maria," Torrie said, touching Maria's arm.

"Hmm?" Maria asked, the sad expression still on her face.

Torrie took a deep breath. "What's going on with you and Jeff?"

"What?" Maria asked, "I can assure you, there's _nothing_ going on between Jeff and I." She tried to smile as if nothing was wrong.

Torrie saw right through her. "That's the problem, isn't it?"

Maria's heart sank and she looked at her feet. She did not reply to Torrie.

Torrie knew just how Maria felt. Unrequited love...yeah, it was a bitch. The blond beauty definitely knew that. In fact, she was feeling that most of the time nowadays. It was hard being around John, even though they didn't talk. It had almost killed her to sit with him while Ruthless Aggression was performing. But Stacy was and would always be Torrie's best friend, scratch that, sister and Torrie knew how important Randy was to Stacy. Despite what Stacy claimed, Torrie knew that Stacy's feelings for Randy were far from over. So, she endured it. Stacy was the only person she'd do it for her, just as she knew that Stacy would do it to her.

Torrie blew out a breath. "Maria, I know exactly how you feel. Listen, don't feel like you're alone. Because you're not." She leaned closer to Maria and whispered, "You think me and John are...were perfect? No way."

Maria gave Torrie a small smile. "At least you had him once. I can't have Jeff, never will be able to have him."

Torrie grabbed Maria's hand and squeezed it. "You don't know that."

"Yeah, I do," Maria responded, "Mickie's his girlfriend and he obviously loves her. If he didn't, would they have been together for so long?"

Torrie shrugged. "Maybe no one's given him a reason to break up with her." She raised an eyebrow at Maria.

Maria could have gasped. "Torrie, I'm not breaking them up, if that's what you're getting at."

Torrie shook her head. "I'm not telling you to break them up. I'm just telling you that you deserve to be happy, too. I'm also telling you that you need to either tell Jeff and Mickie how you feel or move on. You being like this, it's not healthy."

Torrie realized then that she wasn't just giving Maria advice, she was giving it to herself, too. It was time that she get over John. What happened in the past, happened. It was over now, and so were they.

Maria nodded. "Thanks, Torrie." Then she smiled. "Now I remember why I missed you so much."

Torrie grinned. "Yeah, I'll never forget our burnt spaghetti sauce."

Maria laughed at the memory.

Back in ninth grade, she, Torrie, Stacy, Mickie, Trish, Lita, and Stephanie had all been in the same kitchen for Family and Consumer Science (Home Ec) and they'd been assigned to make a spaghetti lunch. Mickie made the salad, Stacy and Lita made the dessert, Stephanie and Trish had made the rolls, and Stacy and Mickie had made the spaghetti. Of course, they somehow managed to leave the sauce on too long and their entire kitchen was black from the smoke. The fire alarm had went off and everything.

"Guys, you're on in two minutes," D-Von said, sticking his head in the door.

Torrie looked at Maria again. "Okay, Maria. Go out there and break a leg. But, remember what I told you."

Maria nodded. "Thanks, Torrie.

...

While Matt and Chris were talking, Edge snuck over to where Lita stood, drinking a bottle of water.

"Hey, Lita," he whispered.

She looked up at him and gave him a puzzled glance. "Yeah, Adam?"

He moved closer to her and murmured, "Have you gotten a note yet?"

She shook her head no. "Oddly enough, no. I usually get one every Saturday morning, too. Or Friday afternoon."

"Me, too," he replied, "and I've yet to get one, too."

Lita frowned. "You think the blackmailer's finally stopped?"

Edge shrugged. "I don't know, Lita. But I certainly hope so."

She nodded in agreement. "Ditto."

Unbeknownst to them, someone heard every word of their short conversation.

Trish inched down the wall and put her face in her hands. _No, no, no_, she thought to herself. _Is my boyfriend blackmailing my best friend? _

...

The curtains flew open and Ruthless Aggression was ready for round two.

"We're back, everybody!" Jeff yelled, grabbing the microphone.

The audience responded very loud and very positively.

He smiled and raised his hand in a wave. "We're gonna start out the second half of the show with two original songs by our very own, Lilian Garcia!"

"Whoo!" Candice cheered, "Go Lil!"

Lilian grinned. "This first song was written just for me by Jeff Hardy. A quick round of applause, perhaps?" She grinned at the crowd.

They listened to her and put their hands together for Jeff.

"This song is called 'Need a Little Time,'" Lilian announced, smiling back at Maria. After all, Maria was backup on this song as well.

Everyone in the crowd loved the beat at the beginning, stomping their feet along with it.

Everyone that is, except Eve, who was thinking. Thinking strongly about the social mistakes that she'd made in her life. Of course, the break up with John was the biggest. John Cena was the unofficial leader of the senior class, the top dog, the quarterback who could block like it was nobody's business. Therefore, it was a screwup on her account that they broke up. She was on top of the world when she was with John. All of the qualities listed before, coupled with the fact that he was HOT with a capital H-O-T, made him a very useful boyfriend. But she just _had_ to screw it up.

Then, there was her messed up friendships. In ninth grade, she and Stephanie McMahon had been best friends. That is, until Eve made up a rumor that Linda McMahon, Stephanie's mother, was being paid off with sex with some of the younger teachers. This, of course, was a lie. Eve was only pissed at Mrs. McMahon because she wouldn't change the cheerleaders' uniform policy. The policy was that the skirts could not be cut shorter than to a dollar off the knee. Eve wanted at least two and a half dollars. Thus, she started a rumor.

Junior year was the year that Kelly moved to Tampa and Eve saw that as a chance to get her in their clique. She was perfect for it, what with the blond hair, rocking body, and beautiful face. And for a while, it worked. Kelly hung out with Eve and her friends until the Bella's decided to mess with Evan Bourne. Evan was shy enough as it was without adding them to the mix. They didn't do much but knock his books out of his hands and put shaving cream in his locker, but that was enough to end Kelly's friendship with them. Which meant that Eve had to choose from Rosa, AJ, Layla, and the Bella's...or Kelly. Kelly's new friends would have meant hanging out with Stephanie, Lita, Maria, and Stacy, all of whom she hated. Obviously now, she figured that she hated Kelly or Stephanie the most. But she was wrong.

The one she hated the most was Torrie.

...

Stacy and Randy were dancing to 'You Drive Me Loca,' another original song for Lilian, which meant that Torrie and John were alone. For the first few minutes, it was awkward. Torrie had Maria on her mind and John had Torrie on his mind. He missed her, there was no doubt about it. And honestly, if it were up to him, they'd still be together. If she hadn't have broken up with him, they probably would still be together, one way or another.

That day was the worst one of John's life.

_Torrie went over to his house that day. He remembered because he was glad to see her. She'd been distance lately, and he didn't know why. Torrie had knocked on the door, only for John Sr to answer it. Torrie spoke with John's father for only a few moments before dashing upstairs to John and at the time, Steve's room. Steve wasn't in, he was at his girlfriend's. _

_ John had been lying on his bed, throwing a football in the air and listening to Nickelback's _Dark Horse_ album. She knocked and he sat up. Instantly, he saw her and smiled. "Hey, Tor. Come here," he patted the spot beside him on the bed. _

_ Torrie gave him a wan smile, already feeling her eyes fill up with tears. John was a bit imperceptive, but he wasn't outright stupid. He could tell that something was seriously wrong with Torrie. She sat down beside him and he instantly put his arm around her. _

_ "What's the matter, baby?" he whispered into her hair. _

_ She looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. Then, she looked down again. "I had a fight with my parents." _

_ This wasn't much of a surprise. While Lana was okay with John, Al couldn't stand him. It was as simple as that and no one knew why. The only thing that Torrie could figure was his Jean shorts, throwback jerseys, Reeboks, and backwards hats. Not to forget his heavy metal and rap and hip hop music, either. Regardless, he should not have been judging John on his looks, the way he dressed, and his musical taste. John was a great rapper, but all Al could hear was 'crap.'_

_ "What about?" he asked, glaring at the wall. If Al hated John, well, the feeling was definitely mutual. _

_ Torrie took a deep breath. "It's...it's bad, John." _

_ John bit his lip. "Is it me?" _

_ She shook her head no. "It's both of us." _

_ John frowned. "It's about both of us? What about us?" _

_ Torrie blew out another breath. "John, I...," she trailed off. _

_ "You what? Tor, you're starting to scare me." John's blue eyes flashed with concern. _

_ Torrie bore her emerald green eyes into John's sapphire ones. "John, I'm pregnant." _

_ John's heart sank. Torrie was pregnant? But...she couldn't be! He was only sixteen, Torrie wasn't even that old yet, though she would be in a couple months. Even still, that was too damn young! _

_ "You're pregnant...?" John trailed off. _

_ Torrie nodded. _

_ John pursed his lips together. "Shit," he murmured. _

_ Torrie stared at her hands. _

_ "When did this happen?" he asked, "weren't we always...you know, safe?" _

_ Torrie nodded. "Except for Candice's party."_

_ That was true. The party had had a lot of alcohol, and John and Torrie had not exactly been balanced after all the booze. _

_ "One time," John said, shaking his head. _

_ Torrie gave him a wan smile. "That's all it took." Torrie felt more tears pinprick to her eyes. She let them fall softly down her face. _

_ John sighed, leaned over, and caught Torrie's tears with his thumbs. "We're gonna be all right," he whispered. _

_ Torrie shook her head. "John, we're not." _

_ John frowned. "What?" _

_ She clutched John's hand. "We can't...we can't do this, John. We can't sit here and pretend like everything's gonna be all right. Because it's not." _ _ "What?" John asked again. _

_ Torrie pressed her lips together, trying to keep from crying. "You know that I love you, right?" _

_ John nodded. "Yeah, and I love you, too." _

_ Torrie sighed. "I think it's time we moved on." _

_ John's eyebrows raised. "Torrie, how are we supposed to move on? We're having a baby, for God's sake!"_

_ Torrie bit her lip. "I don't know." She stood up and glanced at him. _

_ John stood up after her. "Torrie, if you walk out of here, we're over. You got that don't you?" _

_ "Yeah," she replied, "I do." _

_ And she was gone. _

John knew how much of a mistake he'd made telling her that, so he went to her house the next morning, only to discover a moving truck in her driveway. Her dad was the only one outside, so he was forced to talk to him. He'd brought red roses, Torrie's favorite flower. He felt incredibly cheesy and incredibly lame, but he brought them. He'd been determined to get her back.

_"Mr. Wilson_," _he said hesitantly. _

_ Al looked up and frowned at him. "Mr. Cena. Well, this is quite a surprise." _

_ John decided to cut to the chase. "Is Torrie home?" _

_ Al nodded. "Yes, she is, but I suggest you leave. Any boy who knocks up my daughter isn't __**welcome**__ in my house." _

_ John refrained from rolling his eyes, though he really wanted to. "Please, Mr. Cena. It'll only take a minute." _

_ Al shook his head no. "No. We're moving today so the less she sees of you, the easier it'll be." _

_ John felt like he'd been hit in the stomach with a truck. "You-you're moving?" _

_ "Yes," Mr. Wilson replied, "to Boise, Idaho. I grew up there. Tampa, Florida is no place to raise children. Once we get there, Torrie's getting an abortion, so just forget about her and that abomination child." _

_ Make that two trucks that hit John. He could not __**believe**__ that Torrie was leaving __**and**__ getting an abortion. It was so unlike Torrie. _

_ John glared at Torrie's father. "Well, I guess I'll go then. You should be happy, you'll never see me again." Holding back tears, he spat, "Fuck you!" He dropped the roses and ran-ran all the way home, hoping to forget about Torrie. _

Be he couldn't and didn't, forget about Torrie, despite the random girls he'd hooked up with Junior year and the summer before Senior year. The summer after Sophomore year he spent locked in his room, blasting his music all the way up. No one could get him out. Not Shawn or Hunter, not his dad, not his brothers, not even Randy, who was the only one that John had even considered telling about Torrie and the baby.

Then, he started talking to girls he didn't care about, cheap ones that he felt prominent to, inferior ones. He thought that being with them would numb the pain that Torrie's absence had caused, but they only increased it.

So, in a way, he hated Torrie. He was finally learning to live without her, but she came back and ruined it.

It looked like he was back to square one.

**Well, here's another Jorrie-centered chapter, but I had a request for it, so oh well. I felt like I should explain how Torrie and John's break up went. The next chapter will be about what happens **_**after**_** the show, and let me tell you, it's gonna be very, very scandalous! I'm sure you'll all enjoy the drama that ensues next! I hope that you don't think Torrie's a bitch for saying all of that to Maria. I know I've got a lot of Jeckie readers, but I've got Jeria readers, too, so I've gotta keep it balanced. Don't worry, the next chapter will probably have some more Jeckie moments. :)**

** We've got some turmoil coming for John, Torrie, Randy, Stacy, Maria, Jeff, Mickie, Trish, Lita, Edge, Christian, and Lilian! **

** I'm so overwhelmed with all of the feedback I've gotten so far! Thank you all so much for it. But there is one thing I want you all to keep in mind. I know exactly what's gonna happen, so it's kind of senseless to tell me what I **_**should**_** do. I know you all have your favorites and favorite pairings, but what I want to happen **_**will **_**happen. I appreciate the ideas, but don't get your hopes up that that will happen. One more thing, I don't think we'll have any TNA stars unless they were once in the WWE. Sure, I've watched TNA a little, but I just don't like it much. Don't expect to see any of them, sorry. I hope that that doesn't make you all not want to read it, but I **_**am**_** and will always be a WWE girl. Remember the Monday night wars? Yeah, I was on Team WWE despite the fact that my daddy switched back and forth between WWE and WCW **_**and **_**that Torrie and Stacy both started on WCW, lol. **

** Did you all see the 1000th episode? It was crazy, lol. I love the idea of AJ being the General Manager and that she dumped Daniel Bryan. I loved seeing Stephanie and Triple H together, oh and let's not forget Shawnie! He's as goofy as ever. One of my favorite divas ever also made an appearance! When I saw Lita, I screamed. I love, love, loved, seeing her put Heath Slater in his place. I hate that CM Punk turned heel and that Big Show screwed John Cena out of his WWE title. I can't believe the Rock helped Cena out! I had finally started to like Punk and then he messed with Cena. Whether Cena's heel or face, I'll always love him, I always have. **

** Well, hope you all enjoyed! :) **

** Peace, love, and Cena!**

** -Kalina**


	17. Inventing Shadows

**This chapter is named after Dia Frampton's 'Inventing Shadows.' It may be my favorite song now. I love, love, love it! I looked today and I had **_**87 **_**reviews, so thank you guys so very much! I told myself I'd be happy with ten, then twenty, then thirty, and so on, but I've got almost 100! I'm hoping to get that many, so if you haven't reviewed, go ahead, lol! Shout outs to five more peeps: Bakerful14, Hi14, Cena's baby doll, Thatpersonthatreads, and JeckieLover! If you want a shout-out, just let me know. I'd be glad to give you one. I just have trouble keeping up with all of the reviewers' names, especially if they have numbers, so if I get them wrong, I'm terribly sorry. It's just that I do everything from memory since I don't have internet at home. Thanks y'all! :)**

"Thanks everyone!" Jeff announced, waving to the crowd, "It's been a great night and we all had a great time! Did you?"

The crowd clapped and cheered loudly in agreement.

"Great!" he shot back, "well, we're done for the night, but thank you all one more time!"

The crowd put their hands together and screamed. It had been a great night and everyone in attendance had enjoyed it.

The curtain closed and the show was over.

Everyone in the band exploded with excitement. Hugs, kisses, high-fives, and knuckle-bumps were distributed within the group.

"We are so in!" Lita announced confidently.

For once, Matt decided to _not_ be a pessimist. "Yeah!" he agreed, "we're actually good, well considering the response we got."

That was true. The crowd had been on their feet all night, whether it was to dance or just to cheer.

"I totally agree," D-Von said, stepping into the room.

Ruthless Aggression exchanged glances. This could really be their beginning to an actual music career and they all wanted it to go right. But it could go either way and all six of them knew it. They could only hope that it happened precisely.

"Really?" Chris asked.

D-Von nodded. "So much in fact that I'd like you guys to be my Saturday night regulars and special occasions, too."

The six of them all began to get excited.

"Thanks, Mr. Dudley!" Jeff announced, "This is so great!"

D-Von smiled. "I was thinking six-hundred dollars a night? One hundred for each of you?

Again, they all exchanged looks. They hadn't expected to get paid, especially not a hundred dollar per person, per night.

Chris and Matt's eyes bulged. Lita and Maria stood mouths gaping. Jeff and Lilian both let out a small gasp.

"Of course it's enough!" Jeff exclaimed, "It's perfect!"

D-Von smiled again. "I'll pay you more for private parties because that will be overtime. Oh, and I might try to arrange for my friend to come check you guys out."

His friend? The group was confused. What friend was D-Von talking about?

D-Von kept talking. "His name's John Bradshaw Layfield, though some people call him Bradshaw and JBL. He owns JBL Records in Miami and they're big into young rock. I'm sure we could work something out if you all really wanted to."

This sent the group into involuntary hysterics. D-Von let out a small laugh. "Thought that would get your attention. So what do you think?"

They all nodded at Jeff and he did, too. "It's great, Mr. Dudley. Really great."

D-Von nodded, mirroring Jeff. He reached out his hand and Jeff shook it. "I'll see you all next Saturday night!"

He turned on his heels and walked toward the door. As soon as the door was shut, the friends erupted into rumbles of excitement.

"I can't believe it!" Maria said, hugging Lilian.

"Me neither!" Lilian agreed, "Gosh, this seems so real now!"

Lita leaned over and kissed Matt's lips softly. "See, Matt? See why we convinced you to be in the group?"

He nodded. "Yeah, and it hasn't even affected my schoolwork yet, so that's a plus."

Chris rolled his eyes, smiled, and shook his head before punching Matt's arm. "Dude, get over the schoolwork. We're gonna be famous!"

_Then we'll see how Trish feels about me_, he thought to himself.

Matt rolled his eyes right back. "Hey, man, you're not the one who failed seventh grade."

That was why Jeff and Matt were in the same grade. Matt missed too many days in seventh grade because he constantly cut school. He didn't \know why, really. He'd just as rather go to the beach and stare at the waves than go to school and get 'useless knowledge.' It didn't really have that big of an effect on him, though. He identified better with people younger than him. Maybe he was immature, maybe not. He liked being in the same grade with his brother and Lita, too. It was nice to be able to see them all day every day.

"Yeah," Chris replied, "but it wasn't the work that got you. It was your laziness."

The group laughed as some of their friends came swarming in. Mickie ran straight to Jeff and planted a kiss on his mouth. Lucky for Maria, she was talking to Lilian, or she would have noticed Jeff and Mickie's kiss.

"So, what's going on now?" Chris asked Cody.

Cody shrugged. "Let's see...Ted and Maryse are going out on a 'date,' Torrie, John, Randy, and Stacy are all going to Stacy's for something, Kelly and Stephanie are going to Kelly's, Hunter, Shawn, Punk, Dave, Candice, Trish, Edge and Ashley are all going home, and I guess I will, too. And Evan's going with Gail for a burger at Copeland's."

Chris raised an eyebrow. "Gail? Who's Gail?"

"That girl that he was dancing with earlier," Cody replied, "she's actually really nice. Moved here just today."

"Really?" Chris asked, "But what about Kelly?"

It was no secret that Evan was crazy for Kelly. He'd never told anyone, but it was obvious. Very obvious.

Cody shrugged. "I deliver messages, not details."

Chris snorted. "Any progress with Layla?"

Cody shook his head no. "I didn't even see her tonight. Which is weird 'cause AJ, Rosa, _and _the Bellas were all here."

Chris shrugged. "I haven't got a clue, Codes."

"Ah well," Cody said, looking at the floor and jamming his hands in his pockets, "it'll be all right. She doesn't want me, anyway."

Chris smiled sympathetically at him. "Yeah, well, Trish doesn't want me, either. I know just how you feel, bro."

In spite of the fact that neither of them were with the girls they wanted, they weren't exactly upset. Just having a friend that could empathize made the situation much better.

"Baby, I'm going home," Mickie told Jeff.

He nodded. "Tired?"

She smiled. "Yeah, that and I need to go read six chapters of _Othello_."

Jeff raised an eyebrow. "_Six_? I only needed to read one, Micks. What happened?"

She shrugged and smiled guiltily. "Well...I procrastinated just a teensy-weensy bit."

He grinned at her. "Okay, then. Thanks for coming, babe."

She leaned forward and kissed him. "Of course I came! This was your first show. And might I say that it was fantastic!"

He nodded. "We got a weekly gig here now."

Her jaw dropped. "That's excellent! I'll be here for every one, I promise!" She kissed him one more time before they said goodbye.

"Hey Jeff," Matt tapped on his brother's shoulder, "mind if I take the car? Lita and I are gonna go get some ice cream."

Jeff shook his head. "Nah, go ahead. I'm sure I can find a ride."

Or could he?

Chris had already left, as had Mickie and Lilian. He supposed that he _could_ ask one of his friends who'd been in the audience. That is, if they hadn't all left yet...

"Jeff, I can get you home," murmured Maria softly. She, as always was nervous talking to him.

He flashed a smile at her. "Really? That'd be great, Maria. Thanks."

She shrugged. "We _do _live in the same neighborhood, remember?"

He nodded and laughed. "Yeah, I remember. Great, let's go."

...

Trish threw the note in her boyfriend's face. "What is this?"

Christian glanced over at it. "Trish, I haven't got a clue. Where'd you even get that?"

She glared at him. "Christian, it fell out of your backpack. How the hell can you explain that?"

Christian shrugged. "I don't know, Trish. Truthfully, I don't know."

She glared even more fiercely. "You're lying. Why are you blackmailing Edge and Lita? They're my friends, for God's sake. Don't you have any respect for people?"

"I'm not blackmailing anyone," Christian lied, "I really have no idea what you're talking about."

Trish groaned. "Why are you lying? I don't believe you because I know you're lying to me. Now, you're gonna tell me why!"

Christian swallowed and didn't answer.

Trish sighed. "Are you really in that much of a need for money?"

He shook his head. "No, of course not. I just...well, there's a reason."

"So you admit it?" she asked, glowering at him.

He frowned and stared at his feet. "All right, I guess I'll start from the beginning...," he trailed off and began his explanation.

...

Lilian opened the door to her car and got into the drivers' side. She sat down and reached into her purse to find the keys. Fumbling around, her fingers brushed a small slip of paper. Before she could read what was on it, though, she had to find her keys. She finally located them and put the key in the ignition. Now, her lights were on and she could finally read what the note said.

_I think you sing beautifully. I hope to see you perform again soon. _

_ -Your Secret Admirer_

Lilian smiled. She had a secret admirer! But who in the world could it be?

Shrugging, she backed out of the parking lot and headed home.

He was watching her.

Heknew she'd found his note.

He_ would _find out where she lived.

He would find _her_.

He let out an almost evil laugh and nodded again. Lilian would be his, whether she wanted to be...or didn't.

...

"Welcome to my humble abode!" Stacy announced, putting the key into her door. Stacy's room was the basement, so she had plenty of space. Down there, there was a basement and a door to the outside, so it was almost like her own little apartment. She even had her own microwave and little refrigerator, though she ate her meals with her parents.

Torrie, John, and Randy laughed. "Stace, we've all been here before. It's not like it's a big deal."

Stacy smiled. "I know. I just hear people on TV say it a lot."

The three of them followed Stacy into her basement, heading for her purple couch. Stacy's room was done in purple, black, and lime green _everything_. Her bed was a polka dot pattern of the three, the carpeting was black, the walls were lime green with purple trim, so on and so on. They'd even managed to find a purple TV to go in her room.

"Should we watch a movie?" she asked them.

Randy nodded. "Yeah, what do you got?"

"Let's see," she said pawing through her drawer, "we've got _White Chicks_, _Bad Teacher_, _Due Date_, _No Strings Attached_, _Friends With Benefits_, _Just Go With _It_, _The_ Hangover_ parts one and two, and all of the _Scooby-Doo _movies. Animated and live action."

John and Randy stared at her, mouth gaping. "_Scooby-Doo_?" Randy asked.

Stacy nodded. "I love _Scooby_-_Doo_! Who doesn't?"

John grinned. "I've got an idea. Stace, you got any alcohol?"

She shook her head but then smiled. "Yeah, I've got some Smirnoff. Why?"

"I thought you weren't into it?" Randy asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

She shrugged. "I save it for friends. But what's your idea, John?"

He grinned wider. "Why don't we play a drinking game. Put in _Scooby-Doo_, you know, the first live action one. I'll drink every time Shaggy says, 'zoinks,' you can drink every time Daphne says, 'jeepers,' Torrie can drink every time Velma says, 'jinkies,' and Randy can drink every time Fred says, 'ascot.'"

Torrie laughed. "That's the dumbest drinking game I've ever heard. But all right, I'm in."

"Me too," Randy said, "but I've seen this movie and Fred only says ascot a few times."

John nodded. "Sorry, but all the catchphrases are pretty much taken. What about you, Stace?"

She thought for a moment before nodding. "What the hell."

She popped the DVD into the player and their night of _Scooby-Doo _and Smirnoff began.

...

"Well, we're here," Maria announced, pulling up into Jeff's driveway.

He grinned at her. "Thanks so much, Maria. Listen, if you need gas money, I can-"

"No," Maria interjected. "Jeff, we live on the same street, it's incredibly stupid for you to pay me for taking you home."

"Are you sure?" he asked once more.

She nodded. "It's _fine_! Unless you want to make it up to me...," she smiled.

He shot her a puzzled glance. "Make it up to you?"

"Yes," she replied, "I've got a favor to ask you."

He shrugged. "All right. What is it?"

She took a deep breath before asking, "Do you think maybe you could help me sing...better. I'd like to be able to do a solo or at least a duet. But if it's too much to ask or if you don't think I'm good enough, it's totally fine. I completely under-"

"Maria!" he interrupted, "it's fine! Come in, we can work on it now if you're not too tired."

She nodded in agreement. "Okay, Jeff."

Maria grabbed her binder of sheet music and they both got out of the car and Maria followed Jeff into the Hardy's house.

"Try and tiptoe," he whispered, "my parents are probably asleep."

It was close to midnight, but since they were all seniors, their curfew wasn't until one or two. Sometimes it was all right for them to stay out later. Since the gig had been an excuse, their parents weren't expecting them for a while.

She nodded.

He opened the door to his room and Maria realized that his room wasn't exactly the normal guy's room.

The walls were covered with paintings that he'd done: some portraits, some still life, but a _whole lot_ of abstract art. They were her favorites because it was crazy how so many colors and shapes could come together to make such a beautiful scene. Each one had a title. 'Mickie' was full of vibrant colors and busy prints. 'John & Randy' was angry and red with huge strokes darting horizontally. 'Matt' was blue and green with a hint of yellow and everything was going in mad directions.

Jeff had painted one for just about all of their friends, but her favorite, of course, was 'Maria.' It had a lot of neutral colors, black, grey, white, and signs of purple. The brush strokes were small and dainty. Some people may not have been able to tell what exactly it meant, but she could. Jeff was expressing how complex Maria actually was. On the outside, she appeared a bit ditzy and foolish, but really, she was very smart and kind. Her personality was always the same, too: shy and reserved, but at the same time, caring and considerate.

She pointed to it and smiled. "This one's absolutely beautiful. I _am _the Maria, aren't I?"

He laughed. "Yeah, that's you. I painted it a while back, I think it was right after school started. And I painted the Randy and John one after the fight. Matt's was the first one."

"They're all so good! I knew you were artistic, Jeff, but I never knew you were this good," she gushed without meaning to. He grinned and Maria was fairly positive that she could see Jeff's face turn the faintest shade of red. "Thanks, Ria. I mean, I usually don't get this positive feedback. Matt and Jeff and Mickie, they just don't get it."

She smiled. "I don't see how they could think that, Jeff. You're awesome. You know, I know it, so they should, too."

"Thanks," he said again. He wasn't exactly sure how to react to all of this positive energy about his work. "So, do you wanna get to work on the singing now?"

She nodded and handed him her binder. "It's the fifth song."

He flipped the pages of the binder until he found the song. "Okay, this doesn't look too hard. Yeah, I think I can play this on my guitar."

"Okay," she replied, "ready when you are."

Jeff started playing and Maria took a deep breath.

"_If I had just one tear rolling down your cheek_

_ Maybe I could cope,_

_ Maybe I'd get sunk. _

_ See, if I had just one,_

_ Moment at your expense,_

_ Maybe all my misery would be well spent, yeah. _

_ Could you cry a little,_

_ Lie just a little, _

_ Pretend that you're feeling a little more pain,_

_ I gave my warning,_

_ Something in return, _

_ So cry just a little for me_."

Jeff nodded, smiling at her. She was singing Faith Hill's 'Cry' flawlessly and it sounded amazing. He could tell that she was pouring her heart and soul into this song.

"_If your love could be caged,_

_Honey I would hold the key and conceal it underneath,_

_ The pot of lies you've handed me. _

_ And you'd hunt those lies,_

_ They'd be all you'd ever find._

_ That'd be all you'd have to know for me to be, _

_ Fine, yeah._

_ Could you cry a little,_

_ Die just a little,_

_ Pretend that you're feeling a little less pain._

_ I gave my warning,_

_ Something in return,_

_ So cry just a little for me. _

Maria could feel tears pricking into her eyes. She meant every word that she was singing to Jeff and he probably didn't even know. Not only did she mean this, she was also trying to end the stupid little crush she had on him. She was trying to make herself realize that she couldn't have him and would never have him.

"_Give it up baby,_

_I hear you're doing fine._

_ Nothing's gonna save me,_

_ I see it in your eyes._

_ Some kind of heartache coming,_

_ Give it a try._

_ I don't want pity,_

_ I just want what is mine._

_ Yeah."_

Finally, Jeff was understanding Maria just a little bit more. He was still playing his guitar, but he was turning a new leaf, discovering something amazing.

"_Could you cry a little,_

_Lie just a little,_

_ Pretend that you're feeling,_

_ A little more pain. _

_ I gave my warning, _

_ Something in return._

_ So cry just a little for me._

_ Yeah._

_ Cry just a little for me._

_ Oh whoa. _

_ Could you cry a little for me._

_ Yeah, yeah." _

When Maria finished, she was holding back tears. She couldn't even look at Jeff at the fear that she'd start bawling.

"Yes," he replied, smiling faintly at her.

"What?" she sniffed.

"I _can_ cry a little for you," he was still smiling and Maria couldn't tell what was happening.

"Jeff, that was just a song, you know," she said, still puzzled.

He shook his head. "You meant every word you sang. And I'm sorry about that."

"What?" Maria asked.

But this time, Jeff didn't answer. He took a deep breath before stepping toward Maria. Bending his head toward her, he kissed her.

At first, Maria didn't kiss back. She couldn't! This was Jeff, Mickie's boyfriend. Mickie _was_ her best friend, after all. This was wrong on so many levels.

But then again, this was Jeff. Jeff Hardy, the boy she'd been in love with ever since she met him in third grade. She'd loved him far longer than Mickie had, no doubt she loved him more. So, Maria kissed him back.

Jeff put his hands on Maria's cheeks, deepening the kiss, and he pushed her hair back. Maria wrapped her arms around him and somehow they landed on his bed.

Thus began a long night of passion...

**Well, there you have it! And before you Jeckie lovers start a riot and plot my demise, just know that the story isn't over just yet. Now then, that bit with John, Torrie, Randy, and Stacy may have seemed pointless, but it actually leads into the next chapter. Something very, very big! Also, Candice and Dave's story line is about to get interesting, too. And let's not forget about Matt, Lita, Edge, Ashley, Trish, and Christian! We finally know for sure that Christian's the one blackmailing Edge and Lita. But why is he? So, do you guys have any clue who Lilian's admirer is? I know you guys are suspicious about some of the characters, but I'm hoping to shock you!**

** I've been a bit busy lately, because my aunt is getting married in September, and I've been helping plan her bridal shower, which is today. We've been working a while, so wish us good luck! **

** Well, hope you all enjoyed, and don't forget to review! **

** Peace, Love, & Jorrie!**

** -Kalin**


	18. It's All Coming Back to Me Now

**Well, the bridal shower went great and I had a great time with my aunt, three of her friends, and my cousin afterwards! Like I said before, I'm sorry to all of my Jeckie fans, but you're just going to have to sit tight. I've got some Jeria fans, too. I can't please you all at one time, keep that in mind. **

** But, if you **_**are **_**a Jeckie fan, make sure you check out Bakerful14's new story. There's not a name for it yet, but I read the first chapter and I've got a feeling that you'll all enjoy it. It sounds great, despite the fact that I'm a Jeria shipper (yes, I admit it!). :)**

** School starts Thursday, so we'll see how updates go. Actually, Thursday and Friday is mainly just the new tech orientation and stuff. Oh well, I promise I won't abandon this story. Love it WAY too much! **

** Well, onto the chapter! **

Stacy opened her eyes and was greeted with the sting of the bright morning sun. She groaned and covered her eyes with a pillow. 

"Rough night?"

Stacy sat up and looked beside her.

"Hey, Stace."

Stacy groaned again and flopped backwards, landing on her pillow. "Randy, you suck, you know that?"

He laughed. "Maybe, but I got the least drunk of the three of us. _I_ didn't come onto _you_," he defended himself.

"So...," Stacy trailed off, "we _did _sleep together?"

He nodded. "As far as I can tell. I mean, we're naked. In your bed. And it does smell faintly of it. So either John and Torrie got nasty before they left, or we slept together." He grinned at her.

Stacy sighed. "Oh, dear God."

He shrugged. "Okay, I'm just kidding. I _know_ we had sex. It was actually one of the best, if not the best times I ever had."

"Okay," Stacy replied, "you used a condom, didn't you?"

He nodded and pointed over to the other side of the room. "It's right over there. I didn't want to sleep in it."

"Oh God," Stacy said again, "Randy...where did you get it?"

"The condom?" Randy asked, "My wallet."

Stacy snorted. "You keep them in your wallet?"

He nodded. "You never know when you might need one."

Stacy shook her head. "What about your curfew?" she asked, "and my parents?"

"I parked behind the house, remember?" Randy tried to jog Stacy's memory, "And I called my mom and told her I was sleeping over at John's.

"Oh. Well, I still can't believe this. I...I can't believe we were so stupid, Randy!"

He shrugged and gave her a wan smile. "I wouldn't have called it stupid." He opened his arm, beckoning Stacy into them.

She welcomed it and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm sorry, Randy. You're such a good friend and I never wanted to ruin that. I can't beli-"

Stacy didn't get to finish because Randy leaned over and pecked her lips softly.

"You talk _way _too much."

...

John sat up and sighed. Regardless of how drunk he'd been last night, he remembered every detail perfectly. It wasn't a bad night, per se, but it was very, very emotional. So much in fact, that he was thinking about going back to sleep.

At one A.M, Torrie was so drunk that she couldn't even see straight. Stacy was, too. Randy was staying with Stacy, so it was up to John to drive Torrie home. She fell asleep on the car ride home and John had to practically carry her to her room. Luckily, her mother was out, so he didn't have to explain anything.

He'd sat Torrie down on her bed and she opened her eyes. "It's over, you know?" she said, completely out of the blue.

John widened his eyes. "Torrie, let's talk about this later." He turned to leave, but Torrie's snatched his hand back.

"No, let's talk about this now." Somehow, she'd sobered up enough to form sentences.

"Torrie-"

"No," she replied, "John, this is serious."

He sighed and sat down beside her. "Spit it out, Tor. I've got a curfew, remember?"

She chuckled. "You didn't seem to mind that when we were going out."

He rolled his eyes. "Seriously, Torrie. What do you mean by 'it's over?'"

She sighed. "We can't be together, John. You and I both know that."

He shook his head, glaring at her. "Torrie, can you honestly say that you don't have feelings for me any more?"

Torrie stared at her feet.

"You can't, can you?" John asked.

Torrie still didn't reply.

John put his hand on Torrie's shoulder. "Torrie, don't do that! Yell, kick, and scream, tear my head off, but don't shut me out! It drives me crazy!"

Torrie sighed. "I'm sorry, John. There may be some things between us, but we can't be together. It's over-"

"It's not over!" John countered, "It's never been over! Do you know how I felt when you came back? I was scared shitless. Not just because I had Eve but also because I didn't know how to control my feelings."

Torrie shook her head. "John, we can be friends. That's it. Us being together, it's not good for either of us."

John swallowed. "I can't be your friend, Torrie. I love you too much, it's too hard. So, this is your last chance. Go ahead, tell me that you don't feel anything anymore."

Torrie still didn't reply.

John sighed, putting his hand on the doorknob. There was a tight lump in his throat and he swallowed to try to keep from crying. Crying wasn't something he did.

Suddenly, he felt his arm being jerked back. Torrie had finally come to her senses! She pulled him back and kissed him so passionately that breathing became a problem for both of them.

Eventually, John took control and pulled her down on her bed with him. Totally forgetting about what was right, John and Torrie finally did what they'd both wanted since Torrie had moved back.

They made love.

Now, John was lying in Torrie's bed, yawning and wondering where Torrie was. He lifted the covers up and began to pull his clothes on. He noticed that his phone had somehow managed to fall out of his jeans. He had one text message and it was from Randy.

_If anybody asks, I'm at your house_.

John chuckled and quickly sent one back.

_And if anybody asks, I'm at your house. _

John yanked on his T-shirt and walked downstairs, where he was greeted with the smell of eggs cooking.

"What's this?" he asked, coming into the kitchen. His eyes scanned the room. Glancing at the refrigerator, he noticed a note hanging by a Spongebob magnet.

_Torrie Dorrie, _

_ I've gone out to breakfast with __John__ a friend. I should be back by noon or a little before. _

_ Love, Mom_

It looked like their parents were really enjoying each other. It was a bit weird, yes, but at least they were happy.

"Breakfast," Torrie replied, setting an omelette down on the table.

"What's in this?" he asked, sitting down.

Torrie sat another plate down. "Mozzarella, peppers, and onions. We didn't have much for some reason, even considering the fact that Mom went to the grocery store yesterday."

He shrugged. "I don't care. Thanks, Torrie."

She placed a glass of Coca-Cola down in front of him and another beside her plate. Torrie sat down opposite to John and they both began eating.

For a few minutes it was completely silent. Torrie and John just sat and chewed.

After a while, the quiet got to John. He took a deep breath and a drink of his coke before saying, "So what happens next, Tor?"

Torrie swallowed. "I don't know, John." She reached over and grabbed his hand. "I still love you, but...I don't want to rush-"

"Me either," he agreed, "why don't we just take everything really, really slow? I mean, what have we got to lose now?"

Torrie smiled. "All right, we'll take it slow."

The two smiled at each other. Though nothing was totally set in stone, 'Jorrie,' as their friends sometimes called them, was back!

...

Maria was awake, lying on her side. She could feel more tears pricking to her eyes. She should have been very happy, due to the fact that she had just slept with Jeff, the boy who she'd loved since she was seven years old. In fact, she'd just lost her virginity to him. But Maria felt dirty, she felt wicked.

Because Jeff wasn't just the boy that Maria loved, he was also the boy her best friend was with. Maria was certain that Mickie loved him, too. If she didn't, she would not have stayed with him for so long. Even though it was right on one level, it was wrong on way too many others. She deserved to be happy, yes, but not at Mickie's expense.

Maria didn't know if Jeff really had feelings for her or not, but it didn't matter either way. They couldn't be together, it wasn't fair to Mickie. She had no idea what to do in this situation, but she needed to figure it out and quick.

"Maria, are you awake?" Jeff asked, sitting up.

"Yeah," she replied, taking a deep breath. She didn't look at him. She couldn't. She was afraid that if she did, she wouldn't be able to let Jeff go. She loved him so much that it hurt and for so long, too.

It was silent for a few minutes. Maria was still gathering her thoughts and Jeff honestly had no idea what to say.

"I need to think of a way to end things with Mickie," Jeff began, "maybe I should just-"

"Jeff, you can't break up with Mickie," Maria interjected.

Jeff stared at her, mouth gaping. "What?" he asked.

"You can't break up with Mickie," she repeated, "it would kill her. _This _would kill her."

"Maria," Jeff said, "I don't want Mickie. I want you." He was serious. Totally and completely serious.

Maria's heart clenched. He wanted her and of course, she wanted him. But they couldn't be together and that's just the way it was. She sighed. "I want you, too. I have for a long, long time. But, there's no way I'm hurting Mickie. She's my best friend, Jeff."

"How long have you liked me?" he asked, totally ignoring her words about Mickie.

Maria didn't reply.

"How long?" Jeff asked seriously.

"A while," she replied, "ten years." Jeff figured it up. "Since third grade?" he asked.

She nodded. "Ever since I transferred schools."

He sighed. "Well, what's gonna happen, then?"

Maria shrugged. "I don't know, Jeff. No matter what I do, someone's gonna get hurt. You, me, Mickie. And this, us sleeping together, it was wrong. You know it was just as well as I do."

He swallowed, still listening to Maria.

"So, I'm gonna go. I'm going to try and get past this. I know that it's gonna be really, really hard and it's gonna hurt like hell. But I can't waste my time on someone I can't have," Maria shifted her gaze back to Jeff.

"But-" Jeff went to say.

Maria shook her head. "Don't. It's completely pointless."

Jeff shut his eyes as Maria left his room-and possibly his life.

She left Jeff's house, opening her phone. She was going home to talk to the one person she knew she could. The phone rang three times before she heard the answer on the other side.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Torrie. It's Maria. Do you have time to talk?"

**That's the end of chapter 18! I can't believe that I've only written eighteen chapters. On my word processor, it's 49,291 words so far! That's a whole lot considering I plan on writing between 30-40 chapters. There's a whole lot more sex in this chapter than any of the others. I didn't go into detail because it's rated T. I'm considering changing the rating to M so that I **_**can**_** go into detail It's up to you guys, what do you think? **

** RAW last night was great on some accounts, bad on others. Randal Keith Orton is back, baby! My aunt and I were so excited for that. I missed him soooo much. I really hate CM Punk now, by the way. John Cena had that match won, and then he decided to interfere! Then, he had the impudence to call **_**my baby**_** a loser! He better pray he doesn't meet me in a dark alley. Luckily GM AJ Lee saved the day and now there's a triple threat match at SummerSlam. Can't wait for that! **

** I spent the last two days making trailers for this story. I finally decided to only use one, though. They're all Mickie/Jeff/Maria. I LOVE making videos now. It's soooo fun! I plan on making more trailers for WWE High and I'd love to make some for you. Just keep in mind that I'm a busy person, so it might take me a while to make them. I'll make trailers for stories or just dedication videos. I'm open to anything other than John/someone else than Torrie or vice versa. It would mean the world to me if you guys would check the WWE High trailer out! Here's the link: watch?v=LhpctLHSfr8&feature=plcp**

** One more thing: I am a HUGE Jeria shipper again. I loved making those videos of them and I plan on reading some fan fiction about them today. At ten years old, they were my second favorite pairing. Second only to Jorrie. :)**

** This chapter is named after Celine Dion's 'It's All Coming Back to Me Now.'**

** Hope you all enjoyed!**


	19. Break Down Here

**I've noticed that I'm really neglecting some of my characters, so here's what's gonna happen: in the next few chapters, I'm gonna clear all of their stuff up and then get into the next story lines. I'm ready to get to the next few things that are gonna happen. **

** I was asked to put Sheamus in the story. I'm trying to figure out how I'm gonna do that, so any hints are very, very welcome. How would you guys like to see him come in?**

** And most of the crap in italic are thoughts. It's pretty self-explanatory, I just wanted to make sure y'all got that, lol. :)**

** Anyway, enjoy! :)**

Sunday morning, Trish Stratus was up and driving before most of the people in her town were awake. She was pissed. She was furious. She was heartbroken. She was devastated. So much in fact, that she'd stolen one of her mother's packs of Marlboro lites and was puffing like crazy, chain smoking with the radio on as loud as it would go. The wind was ripping through her hair because she had the window down, dropping the ashes of tobacco onto the restless pavement. Gotye and Karmin's "Somebody That I Used to Know" was ringing in her ears.

"That's right, Christian," she yelled at no one, "you're just somebody that I used to know!"

Trish was beyond consolation at what she'd learned the night before.

_Liar! User! Douche bag! Jerk! Asshole! Son of a bitch! Good-for-nothing bastard! _

Trish wasn't totally sure where she was going, she was just driving. Anywhere but there was a good place to start.

_Know what's fucked up? How much time and energy I spent on your sorry ass! _

Trish absolutely hated Christian at the moment. She was wishing the worst of him: creamed by an 18-wheeler, bludgeoned to death with a chevy pickup, suffocated in a mountain of pillows, smashed in the head with Jupiter. He was an evil mastermind and she was his plaything!

_"All right, I guess I'll start from the beginning...," _he'd said.

Trish had listened patiently to his sorry ass, determined to stick by him whatever was going on. Well, almost anything.

Christian had taken a deep breath and stared at her. "Remember in tenth grade, when you dumped Chris to basically be with me?"

Trish nodded. "Of course."

_ I regret it all the time. _

Christian sighed. "I wasn't...I wasn't totally honest with you."

She frowned. "What do you mean you weren't totally honest with me?"

"I mean," he replied, "that when I told you that I really, really had feelings for you, I lied."

Trish's heart sank. What the hell was he talking about? "You...you lied?"

He nodded. "I didn't have feelings for you. I had feelings for someone else."

"_What_?!" Trish screamed, "What the hell are you talking about?!"

He exhaled. "Trish, I wanted to get closer to another girl...so I needed your help."

Trish's jaw dropped and her eyes began to bulge. She was in utter shock. "So you ruined my relationship with Chris?! Christian, I loved him. I really, really did and now you're telling me that I dumped him for nothing but shit?!"

He shrugged.

Trish shook her head. "That doesn't tell me why you've been blackmailing Edge and Li-"

Then it hit her.

Christian had been using Trish to get to Lita.

_For two years._

Trish couldn't control her anger. She walked right up to Chris and slapped him in the face. Violently.

He cringed at the sting that was now on his cheek but he didn't yell at her. He knew that he deserved it.

"So what did they do to deserve this shit?" Trish asked, "What, did they rob a bank? Kill a person? Steal an answer key to a test."

Christian glared at her. "They fucked."

Trish's eyebrows raised. "They...they did?"

He nodded. "At one of Candice's parties. They just didn't want Matt or Ashley to know."

Trish glowered at him. "And they won't, right?"

"Yeah," he replied, "just as long as they keep paying up."

She shook her head. "Why the hell do you keep blackmailing them?! It's been two years! Are you that fucking broke?"

He shrugged. "It's just nice having extra money."

Trish's blood began to boil again and she reached over and slapped him-again. Then she smiled spitefully and said, "Have a good life, Christian. I hope karma's the biggest bitch you ever meet!"

She stalked away from him after that, hoping to never see him again. The mere sight of him made her ill now.

Trish took another puff of her cigarettes and began listening to Hinder's "Without You." It was ironic at how much the lyrics described her situation. She smiled again.

_Fuck you, Christian. _

Suddenly, a familiar house came into view. Without thinking, Trish pulled into the driveway. It was time to visit an old friend, one who she knew she could talk to.

She parked her car and jumped out, popping a piece of Trident in her mouth so that no one could tell she'd been smoking.

She ran up the drive, hopped up the porch and knocked on the door. There was no answer, but she tried again. This time, she was greeted by a sleepy blond in blue plaid pajama pants.

The blond yawned and gave Trish a blank, yet very stunned look.

"Good morning, Chris."

...

"Good morning, slut," Daniel Bryan greeted his girlfriend, AJ.

She didn't answer, only stared down at the floor.

Daniel's anger began to fume even more. He reached his arm back and backhanded her in the face, pummeling her to the floor.

AJ felt tears brimming in her eyes, but she couldn't let them spill over, no way.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you!" he yelled at her.

AJ's sad brown eyes met Daniel's fury-filled ones.

"What the hell's wrong with you, AJ? Have you forgotten that you're _my_ girlfriend. Not Wade Barrett's! I already hate that guy enough without having to deal with him dancing with _my _girlfriend. Why would you _ever _agree to that? How come, AJ?" His eyes spelled out pure malice.

"I d-don't know," she replied, "y-you we're gone, so I thought-"

"Oh, so this is my fault, is it?" Daniel asked, glaring at AJ. "That's great, AJ!"

He grabbed her by her hair and threw her against his desk. Her head banged against the top and her hipbone knocked against the leg. She could feel a bruise begin to form there.

Daniel bent down in front of her and whispered, "Why do you tempt me? I love you, AJ, but you make me so angry! Why do you that to me?"

AJ swallowed and closed her eyes.

"You're mine, AJ. Mine only," he said softly, pulling her close to him. He bent down and kissed her neck. "Only mine," he whispered again.

She bit her lip as Daniel began to yank on her khaki shorts.

"No," she said quietly, "please not now."

AJ should've known better than to say anything.

That look of fury returned to Daniel's eyes. "I'll do whatever I damn well please whenever I fucking well please!"

Without saying anything else, Daniel _ripped_ AJ's shorts open and tore off her shirt.

AJ was completely helpless to him. Daniel was ruthless, but he'd never gone _this _far. And there was nothing she could do but wait for it to be over with.

Next came AJ's bra and panties. She closed her eyes again and swallowed. _Please be quick. _

"You're mine, AJ!" Daniel yelled, undoing his jeans, "Only mine!"

Daniel Bryan was a malevolent tyrant. AJ Lee was his victim.

...

"All right, Miz, you've got everything ready, right?" Michelle asked Mike that very same morning on the phone.

"Yes, Michelle," he replied, "for the thousandth time, I've got everything covered. You just need to chill out."

"I'm sorry," she apologized, "I'm just so nervous about this. I mean, if we slip up _one time-" _

"We're screwed," he interjected, "look, I'm not retarded. I know exactly what would happen. I'm going to Maryse's to ask for the math assignment, you're gonna snap pictures of us and show them to Ted. It's as simple as that."

Michelle blew out a breath. "Right, well...," she trailed off, "make sure you get her to laugh, hug her, touch her arm and all that."

He nodded, though she couldn't see it. "I know 'Chelle. Relax for a second. I'm the one who's got to do the dirty work, not you."

She giggled her bitchy laugh. "I know, Mike. But anyway, good luck."

"Thanks," he replied sarcastically.

Mike ended the call and took a deep breath.

Their plan was now in action.

...

"So, basically Candice, you'd be working Saturdays and Sundays, maybe some weeknights. I know you've got school Monday through Friday, but that shouldn't be a problem."

"What exactly would I be doing?"

"Just stripping. You know poles and stuff, nothing too complicated. Look, it's not brain surgery. You go out there, take your clothes off, shake your tits and ass, and get paid. Maybe some lap-dances, we'll just have to see how the crowd reacts to you."

Candice was back at 'Wicked,' speaking to the owner, Chavo Guerrero. She was stooping down to a new low, but her family needed the money. There wasn't much she could do about it. She was only planning on working there until she had made enough to get her family back on their feet.

Candice sighed. "You do realize that I'm only eighteen?" she asked.

He nodded. "That's how old Maxine and Tasmina are. They just both dropped out of school. I really think you'd be a great addition to the club." His eyes were serious.

Candice pursed her lips together, still thinking.

"I've already thought about what your name would be," the small Latino said, "'Candy Coated Candice Michelle.'"

Candice thought for a few more moments before nodding. "All right, then. You've got yourself a new employee."

Chavo grinned and stuck his hand out. Candice shook it. "That's fabulous! Now, let's go get you some practice!"

It was hard to believe that Candice had gone from having the entire world at her fingertips to this.

Taking off her clothes for cash.

...

As John and Torrie were eating breakfast, Torrie's phone rang. She picked it up, planning on ignoring it. When she saw Maria's name flashing on the screen, though, she hurriedly answered it.

"Hello?" she'd answered.

"Who is it?" John mouthed.

Torrie held one finger up, telling him to wait a little while.

He nodded and went back to eating.

"Hi, Torrie. It's Maria. Do you have time to talk?"

"Sure," Torrie replied, "just hold on one second."

"Okay," Maria replied.

Torrie pressed her phone against her chest and said, "It's Maria. I'll be back in a few minutes, okay?"

"Okay," he replied.

Torrie waltzed into the living room and plopped down on the couch. "All right, I can talk now."

Maria sighed.

"What's the matter?" Torrie asked with genuine concern in her voice.

"I...I did something wrong. Really wrong, Tor," Maria's voice was quivering.

Torrie frowned. "What did you do, Maria? What's so wrong?"

Maria swallowed hard. "Torrie...I sl...I slept with someone last night."

Torrie bit her lip. "Okay," she said, "Ria, who'd you sleep with?"

Maria didn't answer.

"Maria?" Torrie asked, "Are you there?"

"Jeff," Maria replied.

"Jeff?" Torrie repeated, "What about him?"

Then it hit her.

"So, you slept with Jeff?" Torrie asked. She wasn't totally shocked, but then again, she wasn't expecting, either.

Maria nodded though Torrie couldn't see it.

"Maria?" Torrie asked again.

"Yes," Maria croaked, "I slept with Jeff last night."

Torrie sighed. "How did it happen?"

Maria took a deep breath. "Remember how you said I should talk to him about singing a solo?"

"Yeah," Torrie replied.

"I decided to ask him to help me get better. I sung "Cry," you know by Faith Hill. Well, he got the message...," Maria trailed off.

Torrie definitely knew that song. Back in Boise, she'd listened to it all the time. "Oh, man," Torrie said.

"I know," Maria replied, "and now I don't know what to do. Torrie, please help me."

"All right," Torrie said, nodding. "You're at your house, aren't you?"

"Yeah," Maria replied.

"I'll be right there," Torrie said, standing up.

"Are you sure?" Maria asked.

"Positive," Torrie replied.

She hung up the phone and walked back into the kitchen. "John, I gotta go."

He looked up at her, questioning. "How come?"

"I've got a friend that needs me," she replied, grabbing her purse off of the counter.

"Stacy?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Maria."

**Well, I tried to put a lot more Trish in there for a certain someone who keeps asking about her and Chris. You know who you are. :) **

** I hope you weren't **_**too**_** offended by the Daniel & AJ part. Believe me, I hate writing that, but it **_**is **_**part of the story. And it's better to explain than say. **

**I'm trying to make the Torrie/Maria friendship like a mentoring thing. You know, little sister/big sister. I really hope that you're all picking that up. **

** Also, if you're into Jeria, I'm starting a new story about them! It's going to be set a year or so after 'The Way Back' and it will have a lot of the same characters. John & Torrie, Randy & Stacy, Candice & Batista, Brock & Kelly. And some new characters, too. AJ & Punk, Cody & Layla, Mickie James, Eve, and some others. I know you'll enjoy it, so please check it out. I'm so obsessed with Jeff & Maria right now that I just might have to start watching TNA again. I really wish Maria still wrestled in a circuit that was actually on TV. It seems like all of my favorite divas were released except for Torrie and Stacy. And actually, Torrie technically was because of her back injury. Stacy left to become an actress. **

** This chapter is named for Julie Andrews' "Break Down Here." It kind of describes Trish's part of the chapter. **

** Hope you enjoyed, guys! **

** Peace, love, & Orton (he's back, remember?)**

** -Kalina; JorriexLove**


	20. Let Me Be Myself

**Okay, so in case y'all are wondering, my first day at school went absolutely great! I learned that last year my GPA was 3.3, a feat that I didn't think was possible due to Civics & Economics. Anyway, I think this year's gonna be pretty good, despite the fact that three of my best friends transferred. Well, one's doing a homeschooling gateway thing, whatever. **

** I'm very glad that you all enjoyed the previous chapter so much. I'm so happy with all of these reviews! It's done so much for my confidence as a writer. I used to write real fiction on Wattpad, Mibba, & Quizilla, but now I'm writing fan fiction. I used to hardly ever get comments on those websites, but now that I write fan fiction I get all kinds of it! Of course, I still use Quizilla, but I like Fan Fiction WAY more. It's so nice to get feedback!**

** Before I forget, this chapter is named after "Let Me Be Myself" by 3 Doors Down.**

** Crap, I rambled again. Sorry. **

** Anyway, onto the chapter. **

"Trish?" asked Chris, fully awakened.

"I'm sorry that I'm here so early, it's just...I really need to talk to you," Trish bit her lip. "Is it a bad time?"

He shook his head. "No, the house is just a little messy."

Trish gave him a pleading look.

"Oh sorry," he apologized, "come on in. Ignore the clutter."

Trish came inside his house. Honestly, the clutter didn't surprise her. Chris's mother was very scatterbrained and absentminded. Besides, she'd been to his house many times before.

She took a seat where she always had before: the beige couch. Chris could have smiled, but he didn't for two reasons. One, he was puzzled by Trish's visit, and two, he was dog tired. He'd been up past three AM that morning and it was now only six-thirty. He'd basically had less than three hours of sleep.

Chris, yawning, sat down in his father's dark green recliner. "So what's up, Trish? I don't think I've spoken to you since...," he trailed off.

"Since we broke up?" Trish offered, sadly, "That's actually what I'm here about."

Chris shot her a perplexed look. "Really, now?"

She nodded. "Chris, I'm so sorry. Really and truly, I'm sorry. I was such a bitch to you."

"It's-"

Trish ignored him. "I'm sorry that I broke up with you so abruptly and really didn't give you a reason why. I never meant to hurt you."

"Trish, really. It's fi-"

"I was stupid. I didn't know what I wanted. I dumped you because I thought we were too serious and I wanted something new. I was so wrong!"

Chris frowned. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. Listen to her ramble aimlessly (which could go on for hours)? Or should he interrupt her and tell her that everything was okay?

He decided to go with the latter. "Trish, it's okay-"

"No, it's not," Trish went on to say, "I'm a huge, bitch. I can't believe I did that to you. Christian's just...he's such a bastard!" Tears began to sting behind Trish's eyes.

_I know_, Chris thought to himself. But Chris didn't say it. He knew that Trish needed to think about things by herself.

"I should have never...," Trish trailed off, placing her face in her hands, letting the tears cascade down her face. Soon enough, she was gasping in loud sobs.

Chris looked at her awkwardly. Again, he was clueless as to how to help her. His first impulse was to wrap his arms around her and just hold her. But he didn't know she'd react to it.

_Fuck it_, he thought to himself.

Crossing the room, Chris stopped at the couch. He sat down beside the girl he'd loved for so long and pulled her into his arm.

And for the longest time, he just held her.

** ...**

Torrie ran into Maria's house, pushing the front door open. Torrie had guessed that Maria would leave the door open for her and she was right. "Maria?!" she called out.

"In here," Maria replied.

The voice came from Maria's kitchen.

Torrie rushed into the kitchen. There, she spotted Maria sitting at the table, eating a bag of sour cream and onion Lays potato chips. Her face was flushed and puffy and her eyes were red-rimmed. It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that she'd been crying. In fact, Torrie could detect some unshed tears still drifting in Maria's eyes.

"Oh, honey," Torrie whispered, coming over and wrapping her arms around her.

This was when Maria truly broke down. She sniffed loudly, trying to stop, but she didn't succeed. The tears kept flowing.

"It's all right," Torrie said, "you'll feel better if you just let it all out."

Maria sniffed again. "What is wrong with me?!" she asked.

Torrie patted her back and gave her a sisterly squeeze. "Absolutely nothing," she reasoned, "sweetheart, you're _human_. And not just any, either. You're a teenage girl who's in _love_. This is not your fault."

Maria stared at Torrie. "Then who's fault is it, Torrie?"

"No one's," Torrie replied, "teenagers equal hormones, it's as simple as that. You pair that with the fact that you've been in love with Jeff since third grade and there's your answer. Honey, I told you this before and I'll tell you again. You _deserve _to be happy. You _deserve _to have Jeff."

Maria sighed. "But he's with Mick-"

"I _know_," Torrie replied, "but she wasn't very considerate of your feelings, was she?"

"Huh?" Maria asked, totally puzzled at what Torrie was saying.

Torrie placed a hand on her hip. "So, let me get this straight. You and Mickie have been best friends for _four _years and she had no clue that you have a thing for Jeff?"

"Well," Maria said, "she never expected it and I _did_ introduce her to him."

"So?" Torrie asked, "Stacy didn't have to tell me that she likes Randy. I already knew it."

"Yes," Maria replied, "but you and Stacy have been best friends since diapers. Mickie and I have only been friends since freshman year. Besides, everyone knows Stace likes Randy."

Torrie smiled wanly. "Everyone knows you like Jeff, too."

Maria's eyes widened. "They-they do?"

"More or less," Torrie replied, "we haven't really discussed it. Well, me and John did in tenth grade and me and Stacy talked about it recently. It's just that when you're with him, you blush and you're just so happy. And when he's with Mickie you act like a homeless puppy. We kind of all exchange knowing glances."

Maria put her head in her hands and groaned. "I'm so fucked! Why did I let Jeff kiss me?!"

Torrie folded her arms. "Because you _love_ him, honey. And it's different when you love someone. I know exactly how you felt last night."

Maria made a face. "Why? Did you and John do it, too?"

Torrie didn't answer.

Maria smiled for the first time that morning. "That's great, Torrie! Are you two gonna get back together?"

Torrie shrugged. "Maybe, we decided we're gonna take it really, really, really slow. But hopefully." Torrie blushed, "But we're not talking about me, we're talking about you."

Maria groaned again. "So what do I do, Torrie?"

"I can't tell you what to do," Torrie replied, shaking her head, "but I can tell you your options. One, you could just try to forget about it and move on. Which, I don't recommend, by the way. Two, you can tell Mickie and face the consequences. Or three, you could just talk to Jeff and figure out what _he _wants to do. But if you decide to do that, don't you dare let him manipulate you based on your feelings. Listen, I've known Jeff since pre-K, so I doubt he'd do that. Just be aware."

Torrie, Jeff, Randy, Stacy, Matt, John, and Lita had all known each other since pre-K. They'd been friends since then, too. Torrie and Stacy had been best friends practically forever because their mothers were close, just like Randy and John's fathers.

Maria sighed. "So, basically I just forget it, waltz up to Mickie and say, 'hey, I just lost my virginity to your boyfriend,' or have Jeff tell me what to do?"

Torrie shrugged. "Unless you can think of something better...wait, you were a virgin, Ria?"

Maria nodded. "Yeah, Tor, I was. At least I lost it to Jeff and not some random loser."

Torrie shrugged and smiled. "They say you never forget your first time and you certainly won't."

Maria chuckled. "Yeah, in more ways than one. You still remember yours?"

Torrie nodded. "Yep, it was the summer between ninth and tenth grade. John and I were both virgins, so it was a little bit awkward. We didn't know if we were doing right or anything. We didn't know how to do foreplay and we couldn't stop laughing. I'll never forget it."

Maria sighed. "I wish I could remember mine like that. All I'll ever remember is breaking my best friend's relationship up."

Torrie had finally had enough of Maria's mood. "Maria, I really hate to ask this, but was Mickie really ever a very good friend to you?"

Maria nodded. "Of course, she was!"

"So that day at Copeland's when Mickie and Jeff met, you talked to them about the famous Mickeys, too?"

Maria shook her head no. "No...but it's fine. It was an instant connection. Besides, how do you know that?"

Torrie smiled. "Matt and Lita."

Maria didn't reply.

"And has she ever been the friend that you've been to her? Have you ever copied her homework? Has she ever helped you with a project? Has she ever given _you _advice? When's the last time she's given you a present or ever had a truly meaningful conversation with you?" Torrie was dead serious.

"Torrie, don't start on that. Mickie's just...different. She means well, she really does," Maria defended.

"I'm sure she does," Torrie replied, "I'm just stating fact."

Maria opened her mouth to protest, but nothing come out. Perhaps it was time to ponder what Torrie was saying. Besides, she had a shit load of thinking to do...

...

Lilian woke up that morning at eight o'clock. She was so excited! It was still surreal to her that maybe, just maybe, she and her friends were going to be famous. It had been a faraway dream for as long she she could remember, but now it didn't seem so afar.

She was smiling, humming, and dancing while she made French toast for herself and her parents.

"Someone's in a good mood," her father said, smiling.

Lilian grinned back. "I sure am, Daddy."

"Would this have something to do with your show last night?" Her mother asked, coming into the kitchen and heading toward the coffee pot.

"It might," Lilian replied, beaming. She picked up the last piece of toast with tongs and sat them on the table.

"How did the band do?" her father asked.

"Great!" she replied, forking a piece of toast, "D-Von's even talking about asking his friend at JBL Records for us a record deal! So, yeah, I think we did a good job."

"You're not the only one," her mother replied, setting an envelope on the table. It was small and white, and in beautiful calligraphy, was Lilian's name.

"Hmm?" Lilian asked.

Her mother, smiling, took a drink of her coffee before answering. "This morning, I went to get the paper and this was sitting on top of it. I didn't open it, just in case it was private."

Lilian frowned, wondering what it could be. "I have no idea...," she trailed off.

"Well, open it," her mother urged.

"Okay," Lilian replied. Gingerly, she folded the flap back, eager to find out what was inside.

_Lilian, _

_ You're voice is almost as beautiful as you. I admire you so much. Never stop singing. _

_ -Your admirer_

Lilian blushed.

"Does someone have an admirer?" her mother asked, grinning.

"It sure looks that way."

...

Jeff sat on his bed, staring at the wall. Usually, looking at his paintings made him feel better, but at the moment, he was inconsolable.

He'd screwed up, that was for sure. Not only had he hurt Maria, but he was more than likely going to hurt Mickie, as well. And that had never been his intention.

He wasn't totally sure what his feelings were. He loved Mickie, yes. Maybe not as much as he'd thought he did, but still loved her. And then there was Maria. _She _was the one he couldn't get out of his head. _She_ was the girl that he was worried the most about. Because although he was with Mickie, Maria was the vulnerable one. She was the one that he wanted to protect. And then, there was Mickie again. His mind kept switching from the two girls. Mickie, Maria. Maria, Mickie. Mickie, Maria, Maria, Mickie.

Jeff sighed and reached over for his guitar. Instantly, the chords started flowing and the lyrics to 3 Doors Down's "Here Without You" began to rush from his lips.

_A hundred days have made me older since the last time I saw your pretty face. _

_ A thousand lives have made me colder and I don't think I can look at this the same. _

_ And all the miles that separate will disappear now when I'm dreaming of your face. _

_ I'm here without you baby, but you're still on my lonely mind. _

_ I think about you baby, and I dream about you all the time. _

_ I'm here without you baby, but you're still with me in my dreams. _

_ And tonight, it's only you and me. _

Suddenly, there was a knock at Jeff's door. He stopped playing and looked up. "Come in!" he replied.

Matt turned the doorknob and entered his little brother's room. "Hey, Jeff," he said, sitting down beside him on his bed.

"Hey," he replied flatly.

Matt instantly too notice that there was something wrong with his brother. "What's the matter?"

Jeff sighed. "Have you ever done something so bad that there was absolutely nothing you could do without someone getting hurt?"

Matt thought for a moment. "Not that I can think of. Why, did you?"

Jeff shrugged. "I think so."

"Come on," Matt said, "it can't be _that_ bad."

Jeff looked Matt straight in the eye and said, "I slept with Maria."

Matt's jaw dropped.

"Yeah," Jeff said.

Instantly, Matt closed his mouth. "Sorry. Did you and Mickie have a fight?"

Jeff shook his head. "That's just it. Me and Mickie were absolutely fine. It's just...hell, I don't know. I saw Maria and I wanted her. I just wanted her." "We've known her since third grade," Matt reminded, "and you just now want her?"

Jeff shrugged his shoulder. "I don't know, Matt. She said that she's...she's liked me since she moved here. But she didn't tell me that until early this morning."

Matt blew out a breath. "Well, Jeff, I don't know what to tell you. I've never been in this situation."

Jeff looked down at his guitar. "You're the older brother here, not me," Jeff protested, "you're supposed to tell me what to do."

"I don't know what you're supposed to do, though," Matt replied, "besides, sometimes I feel like you're older than me."

Jeff let out a small laugh. "Whatever."

"Look," Matt finally said, "Mickie or Maria. You gotta pick one or the other or neither. But you can't leave both of them hanging."

"Actually," Jeff countered, "Mickie doesn't know yet."

Matt groaned. "I guess you don't have to tell her if you stay with her. But it'd probably be better if you did, regardless."

Jeff sighed. "I just don't know...," he trailed off.

Matt stood up and patted his brother's shoulder. "I'll leave you to it."

"Thanks," Jeff replied.

Matt exited Jeff's room. As he was leaving he heard Jeff's guitar-and his voice-again.

_The miles just keep rolling as the people leave their way to say hello. _

_ And I've heard this life is overrated, but I hope that it gets better as we go._

_ Oh yeah, yeah._

_I'm here without you baby, but you're still on my lonely mind. _

_ I think about you baby, and I dream about you all the time. _

_ I'm here without you baby, but you're still with me in my dreams. _

_ And tonight, it's only you and me. _

Jeff closed his eyes. He had never been this torn in his entire life. What was he to do? He didn't want to upset either one of them. And he really and truly _did_ have feelings for both of them.

_And everything I know. _

_ And anywhere I go, it gets hard, but it won't take away my love. _

_ And when the last one falls._

_ When it's all said and done, it gets hard but it won't take away my love. _

_ Oh whoa, whoa. Whoa, whoa._

_ I'm here without you baby, but you're still on my lonely mind. _

_ I think about you baby, and I dream about you all the time. _

_ I'm here without you baby, but you're still with me in my dreams. _

_ And tonight, girl, it's only you and me._

_ Yeah. Oh yeah. _

_ Oh. _

_ Oh._

And suddenly, it was crystal clear to Jeff who he really wanted.

**I don't know if she's reading this or not, but I want to say happy birthday (even though it was Saturday, lol) to my Jorrie sissy, XxBeautyFairytaleOfJorriexX. Happy birthday, Kelly Marie. I don't know where I'd be without you! I hope it was great! :)**

**Okay, so the next chapter will focus on Jeff's decision and the consequences. Plus, we've got another appearance from Eve. After that, we'll have a chapter or so before I start skipping a few months and just giving small updates on what happens during those months. A new face will appear in the next chapter, too. **

** Who do you all think it is that Jeff wants? Who do you think is Lilian's admirer? And is he also the threatening one? The Matt/Lita/Edge/Ashley story line's about to reach its breaking point, too so watch out for that as well. **

** As I'm writing this story, I'm thinking about the sequel. It will have a lot less characters, as I plan on giving MOST of them their happy ending in this story. Of course, they'll all be mentioned and make appearances in the next, but they won't be main characters. The main ones will be announced later. If you're really, really curious...you're still gonna have to wait, lol. I'm planning on making it, between 8 and 10 years later. We'll see. And of course, I've got my new story coming out. I think the first chapter will be out today. It's called "The Way Home." Make sure you at least check it out. **

** One more thing. I've noticed that on a whole lot of my stories I've been referring to Torrie's ex-husband as 'Billy Gunn' instead of 'Billy Kidman.' I don't know why, but I do. I know who's who, I guess I'm just doing it without thinking. **

** Lots of love until next time, y'all! **

** Peace, love, and Jorrie!**

** -Kalina; JorriexLove**


	21. Forgive Me

**Before I forget, thanks so much to all of you for the wonderful reviews. I've gotten so many lately that I've been VERY inspired to write. So, let's just hope that this chapter lives up to my expectations! LOL, I know we're ALL feeling very sorry for AJ, Candice, and Maria at this point, but let's hope things get better for them!**

** Here we go...**

Mickie was at school Monday morning before any of her friends. She'd felt like getting there early for some reason. Maybe it was because she _really_ needed to finish those chapters of _Othello_. She was sitting primly on her bench, trying very hard to concentrate on the words on the pages.

Sighing, she looked up. Plays were just so boring to her and it was hard for her to stay focused. Then, she heard a very deep, distinctive voice. And it was not a happy one.

"Hey, fella! Why don't you pick on someone your own size, all right?"

The voice belonged to a very tall, very pale boy named Sheamus. Mickie took a closer look and saw that Wade Barrett was holding Rey Mysterio, a very short student's backpack.

"What are you gonna do?" Wade laughed.

Sheamus smiled sarcastically before getting right in Wade's face. "I'll beat your arse, that's what I'll do!"

Wade looked behind at him at three of his friends: Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, and David Otunga. They appeared scared. Sheamus was a big guy, and despite the fact that there were four of them and only one of him, it was still a pretty one-sided fight...in Sheamus's favor.

"Let's not waste our time," Wade spat at his friends, dropping Rey's backpack.

"That's right," Sheamus shot back, "don't mess with Rey Rey any more or I'll personally end you!"

Wade, Heath, Justin, and David all turned heel, leaving Sheamus alone with Rey.

"Thanks, man," Rey said to Sheamus shyly.

"No problem," Sheamus replied, patting Rey's shoulder, "any time."

Smiling, Mickie stood up and walked over to where Sheamus stood. Rey was picking up his backpack, preparing to leave.

"Hey, Sheamus," she said.

Sheamus looked up and smiled. "Hey, Micks. What's up?"

"That was really, really sweet," she replied, grinning at him.

He shrugged. "It was nothing. Rey Rey's my boy, gotta watch out for him. His size is kind of a disadvantage."

Mickie nodded. "Yeah, it sucks being small. I should know."

The boy laughed. Mickie _was_ very short.

"Well, I gotta go to the library and get a copy of _Othello_. I haven't started that yet," Sheamus said, running his hand through his thick red hair.

Mickie smiled. "I've tried. It's just so hard to understand!"

Sheamus shrugged his shoulders. "I'm just lazy. Well, I'll see you around, Mickie."

She smiled again, waving. "See you."

...

In the school's student parking lot, Maria was sitting behind the wheel of her white Prius. Her eyes were full of tears and her chest was hurting. She hadn't spoken to Jeff since the day before and hadn't spoken to Mickie since Saturday.

She knew what she had to do, regardless of how hard it was going to be. Mickie and Jeff both deserved it. It was hard to believe that so much had happened in only two days. Not only had she lost her virginity, something she could never get back, but she'd also betrayed her best friend in the worst possible way. Basically, she'd killed two birds with one stone, a stone that she wished she could take back.

"Maria!"

Maria jumped at the sound of her name and tapping on her window. She shifted her gaze to the driver's side window, seeing Jeff peeking in.

She rolled the window down. "Jeff! You scared the living shit out of me!"

"I'm sorry," Jeff said, opening her door, "but I've got to talk to you-"

Maria interrupted him, "Jeff-"

But then, Jeff interjected her. "Maria, listen to me."

"No, Jeff," Maria retorted, "I've got to talk to Mickie."

"Okay," Jeff replied, "but it can wait. Look, I don't care if I'm with Mick-"

Maria pushed herself out of her car and shook her head at Jeff. "We're not doing that, Jeff. No way."

Jeff's face became annoyed. "You haven't even let me tell you what I want to say!"

"I've got to go," Maria said, pushing Jeff out of the way.

Jeff sighed, seeing her walk away. "Maria, wait!"

Maria didn't stop walking. She was trying her very hardest to ignore him and to not cry. It was weird, actually. Before all of this happened, Maria never cried in public. She saved it for her room, or at least her house. Now, she was crying all the time in the weirdest places.

Jeff exhaled very loudly. He didn't know what to do. If Maria wouldn't listen to him, it made what he had to say futile. There was only one more thing that he could say and it wasn't something he wanted to admit at that moment. But it looked like he was going to have to.

"I love you!" he shouted in the parking lot.

Luckily, no one was around, because there would have been a _lot_ of confusion about what was going on. Surely, everyone would have thought Jeff was crazy. Hell, Maria did, too. She didn't turn around because she knew that if she did, she'd break down even more than she had before. And she'd never, ever forgive herself for hurting Mickie the way she did.

Jeff inhaled and exhaled, still watching Maria. It looked like she really and truly did not care about his feelings toward her.

He finally understood how she'd felt all those years. It definitely was not fun being totally ignored by the person you loved. And yes, he hated that Mickie was going to get hurt, but as everyone knows, we don't choose who we love. It just happens in difficult ways sometimes.

Maria took a deep breath and walked into the school. She saw that there weren't too many people there. Mickie was there, however, as was Sheamus and Rey, and Wade and his posse, Zack Ryder, and Santino Marella, amongst others. She walked very slowly to where Mickie sat with a copy of _Othello_ in her hands.

"Micks," Maria whispered, sitting down beside her.

"Hey," Mickie replied, looking up from her book and smiling, "good morning!"

Maria's teeth reached her bottom lip before she could think about it. "Good morning. Listen...I really need to talk to you."

"Okay," Mickie said, nodding. "Go ahead."

Maria shook her head. "Not out here. It's important and I don't want anybody to hear us."

Mickie sighed. "Fine. Let's go to the bathroom, then."

Maria stood up, heading toward the girls' restroom with Mickie trailing behind her.

Once they'd reached the bathroom, Mickie said, "All right, what's so important?"

Maria exhaled, her heart feeling heavy. This was without a doubt the hardest thing she'd ever had to do. Ever. "You know how Jeff needed a ride home Saturday night?"

"Yeah," Mickie replied, "who ended up bringing him home?"

"Me," Maria squeaked.

Mickie frowned. "Okay...so what's the big deal?"

Maria bit down harder on her lip. If she bit down any harder, she was going to chew straight through it. "Well, I went in with him because I wanted to work on my singing with him...," she trailed off.

Mickie was still incredibly puzzled. "So, you went in and sang, right?"

Maria nodded. "Yeah, but that's not all. I've...I've got a confession to make, Mick."

Mickie's frown grew. "What is it?"

Maria exhaled. "Oh, God...Mickie, I'm so sorry...," she trailed off again.

"Just tell me!" Mickie exclaimed, "You're starting to scare me!"

"I've...I've had this crush. The same crush since third grade. Way before you moved here," Maria stammered.

"Who is it?!" Mickie cried out, "and why haven't you told me?"

Maria swallowed. "I didn't tell you because I didn't want to hurt you. He's kinda the one I lost my virginity to...Saturday night."

Mickie furrowed her brow. "When did you have time to-"

Then, it hit her like a ton of bricks. Her heart sank and fire rose in her stomach.

Without thinking, Mickie slapped Maria across the face with all of her strength. "You _bitch_!" Mickie growled angrily. Infuriated, Mickie forcefully shoved Maria against the white wall.

Maria felt tears prick to her eyes. Tears of shame, pain, and heartache. "Mickie, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, I never meant for that to-"

Maria didn't get to finish because Mickie fell into a fit of rage. So much in fact, that her shoulders were shaking and her entire face was red with anger. "Don't you _ever_ speak to me again! Don't look at me, don't think about me, don't even acknowledge my existence! Just forget that we were _ever_ friends, you fucking slut!"

"Mickie, please," Maria tried to reach out and stop Mickie from leaving.

"Don't touch me!" Mickie screamed at her, running out of the bathroom.

Maria sank down to the floor of the bathroom, back against the wall. Tears were shooting down her face even more than before. Not only had she just lost her best friend, but she'd more than likely just ruined her reputation, too.

Simply put, life's a bitch.

...

John and Torrie walked into the school hand-in-hand, smiling at each other. Yes, it was official. They were back together. It was time to let bygones be bygones, and let the past be the past. All that mattered now was that they loved and wanted each other. Time is precious and it's stupid to waste it on past encounters.

"So, what's Eve gonna think?" Torrie asked, smiling.

John grinned back at her, his dimples popping up. "Who gives a damn, Torrie?" He leaned over and kissed her forehead.

Suddenly, they heard sobbing.

"What the hell?" Torrie thought out loud.

John shrugged. "I have no idea."

Torrie listened closer and was pretty positive that she found the source of the crying. "It's coming from the bathroom, I think."

They walked closer. Yes, it was obviously coming from the girls' bathroom.

"You gotta sit this one out," Torrie told John, grinning.

He shrugged. "I guess I'll go talk to Sheamus and Rey Rey."

"Okay," Torrie replied, heading into the bathroom.

There, she noticed Maria Kanellis crumpled on the floor, her head in her knees and her hair spread out everywhere.

Instantly, Torrie kneeled down next to her. "Maria?! Are you okay?"

Maria sniffed and looked up. "T-Torrie?"

Torrie nodded. "Yeah, it's me. What's wrong?"

Maria looked her straight in the eye and said, "I told Mickie."

...

"We tell no one, right?"

"Right."

Randy and Stacy smiled at their agreement. It wasn't exactly a normal one, but they were both okay with it. They were going to be 'friends with benefits.' Okay, so basically, they were fuck buddies, but it didn't matter. They had decided not to begin a relationship-just to use each other physically.

They'd decided it Sunday morning over a brunch of chocolate chip pancakes and bacon at IHOP. And of course, it was Randy's idea. Since Stacy still really liked Randy and loved the way he made her feel, she'd gone along with it.

"Now, I've seen _Friends With Benefits_ and _No Strings Attached_. You gotta promise not to fall in love with me, all right, Randy?" Stacy had asked, smirking.

He nodded. "Challenge accepted."

And after that, they shook on it.

Now, here they were, at school in the parking lot, in Randy's black Chevy truck. School didn't start for another fifteen minutes so they decided to hang out in his vehicle until the five minute mark.

"Is that Jeff?" Stacy asked, looking out at the tan explorer that Jeff and Matt shared.

Randy nodded. "Yeah," Randy replied, "he looks really upset. Wonder what's the matter with him." Stacy shrugged. "Who knows?"

"Should we leave him alone?" Randy asked.

Stacy nodded. "He looks like he needs to collect his thoughts. We'll ask him later."

At that moment, they didn't know that it was going to be all over the school...

**Cliffhanger! LOL, don't worry I'll be posting again soon. Yes, there will be lots of scandal this Monday morning and then we'll reach some more fillers. Then...we'll get onto Chris & Trish, Cody & Layla, Edge, Matt, Ashley, & Lita, Kelly, Evan, Gail, Punk, AJ, & Daniel, Hunter and Chyna & Stephanie, Lilian & her admirer, & Batista & Candice. I won't forget about the others, they'll just be pushed to the side, kind of like these have been. **

** Ooh, that Mickie & Maria bit was intense. A bit hard for me to write, too. **

** This chapter's named after Versus the World's "Forgive Me." It's on Smackdown VS RAW 2007 and it's my little brother's favorite song. It's a bit on the hardcore side, but it's a good song. **

** I hope you're all enjoying it as much as I have! Thank you all so much for the reviews. I love you all to death! :)**

** Peace, Love, & Rancy (got obsessed again today)! **

** -Kalina; JorriexLove**


	22. What Have You Done

**I've got to hand it to myself, this story's been one of my better ones, I think. I'm enjoying it a lot! Oh man, do I have a great idea. It's not gonna happen for a while, but when it does, you're going to frenzy like piranhas. LOL, that sounded really, really weird. **

** Try not to hate Maria too much, guys. I know that she slept with her best friend's boyfriend, **_**but**_** keep in mind that she has loved Jeff WAY longer than Mickie has. Besides, Mickie's not the greatest person in the world. No offense to all of you who like her, that's just how she's portrayed in the story. **

** Let's get to the next installment then!**

"Slut!" Mickie cried out, tears shooting down her face, "That's all she is. A cheap, lying, ho!"

Lita sighed. Here she was, trying to console Mickie as Torrie did the same with Maria. It didn't look like either of them were getting anywhere, though.

"Mickie," Lita heartened, "have you tried asking her what happened?"

"No!" Mickie shouted, "I don't ever wanna see her-or him-ever again! He's a cheater, she's a whore, and they're both liars! I don't...I can't...," Mickie trailed off as a sob escaped from her throat.

"Micks, you've gotta calm down," Lita instructed, "I know you're upset, but-"

"Calm down?" Mickie asked, "Calm down?! Lita, my best friend just fucked my boyfriend! How am I supposed to calm down?!"

"Exactly. She's your best friend, so-"

"Was my best friend," Mickie interjected.

"Regardless," Lita said, "did you even give her a chance to explain herself? Maybe they were drunk, maybe it was accidental. Things _do_ happen you know."

Lita knew that firsthand.

Mickie shook her head. "Uh-uh, no way. This is...this is unforgivable," Mickie swallowed, "and the bitch is gonna pay. Oh, God is she gonna pay!"

"Mickie, don't do anything stupid," Lita said, "please don't do anything stupid!"

Mickie wiped away her final tears. "Trust me, it's not gonna be stupid." ...

"I don't know what to do now, Torrie," Maria wailed, "I told her. I was completely honest. I was trying to do the noble thing. And now, she won't talk to me _or_ let me explain! She...she slapped me and called me a bitch _and_ a whore!"

Torrie completely understood why Mickie was so angry with Maria, but she could also understand Maria's side, too. If Stacy slept with John, she'd probably kill her, _but_ Stacy hadn't been in love with John for ten years, either. If Stacy did have a thing for John, she would have told her. It wouldn't have mattered, because Torrie would have been able to tell. Luckily, Stacy was all about Randy, therefore Torrie didn't have to worry about it.

"I'll talk to her, if you want," Torrie offered, "if she gets too snappy, I'll slap the taste out of her mouth, just like she slapped you." Torrie glared into space, "All the teachers are in a meeting right now, so we don't have to worry about getting in trouble."

Mickie slapping Maria had definitely rubbed Torrie the wrong way. Oddly enough, she felt very protective of Maria and the fact that Mickie had physically attacked her really, really pissed her off.

Maria shook her head. "I...I don't want to make the situation any worse."

Torrie bit her lip. "Is Jeff here?"

Maria had totally forgotten about Jeff being at school. She'd been so concerned about Mickie that she hadn't thought about him. But because Torrie had brought him up, another flood of tears pricked to her eyes. "Jeff!" she sobbed.

"I take that as a yes?" Torrie asked.

Maria sniffed and nodded.

Torrie sighed. "Do you want me to take you home?"

Maria shrugged. "What good is it gonna do? I mean, I might as well face it today, right?"

"It's up to you," Torrie said, "I'll go with you, I don't mind. Hell, I can bring Stacy and some more of us, too. Whatever you need, honey."

Maria forced a smile. "Thanks, Torrie. You've been such a good friend to me lately. I just don't understand why."

Torrie smiled. "Maria, you've never, _ever_ judged me. Not once. You've always backed me up one hundred percent, no matter what I did, even when we weren't close. I can't repay you for that. Besides, I know how tough love is, believe me."

And Maria did. She knew that John and Torrie had gone through a lot of rough patches and it had torn them both to pieces.

Maria took a deep breath and wiped her eyes once again. Torrie reached her hand out and Maria grabbed it. Torrie pulled her up and gave her a tight hug. "I'm gonna be right here with you, so don't be afraid. Whatever Mickie says or does, I'm right here. Honey, I don't think she'll say _too_ much."

Maria nodded as Torrie put her arm around her. Together, they exited the bathroom.

The lobby was dead silent. All of the students were staring at Torrie and Maria as they made their way to the bench where Stacy, John, Randy, Hunter, Stephanie, Dave, and Punk stood.

"What are you all looking at?!" Torrie snapped, glaring at the lobby full of students.

Most of them looked away, but Mickie James glared with a vengeance at them. Torrie shot her a nasty glance and used all of her might to refrain from flipping her the bird or shooting her mouth off at her.

"I don't know if I can do this," Maria whispered.

"It's gonna be okay," Torrie whispered back, glancing at Stacy.

Stacy smiled at both of them. "Torrie's right, Ria. No one's gonna-"

"Slut."

"Whore!"

"Backstabber!"

Eve and the Bellas walked by, snapping insults at Maria, who could only look away with tears of shame in her eyes.

Torrie, Stacy, and Stephanie, however, did not look away. The three of them glared at Eve and the Bellas, prepared to do whatever it took to shut the bitches' mouths.

"Isn't this perfect, girls?" Eve asked Nikki and Brie, "Maria's friends with Stacy, Torrie, and Stephanie. Everyone knows Stacy's easy as hell, Stephanie's mom fucks the teachers, and Torrie's just a slut. You know she had an aborti-"

Smack! The sound was loud and piercing as Torrie's palm slapped Eve's cheek. The students in the lobby all shifted their gaze to Torrie, if it hadn't already been there.

"Shut your fucking mouth!" Torrie yelled at her, "You're just a jealous bitch and you know what they say about misery loving company. Here's some advice: get. Over. Yourself! Get a life and stop wasting your time being catty. It's getting you absolutely nowhere!"

Eve didn't know what to do. She'd just been totally schooled by Torrie and stunned, too. She had no idea what to do next.

"So, leave us alone!" Stephanie snapped, "and if you ever, and I mean ever, speak about my mother that way again, you'll be shitting teeth for the rest of your life!"

Hunter's eyebrows raised. He didn't know that Stephanie could be _that_ brutal.

Nikki through her hair over her shoulder. "Is that a threat, 'cause you know we can file a police report-"

"No, that's a promise," Stacy smirked, putting her hand on her hip, "you pussy."

Brie, Nikki, and Eve all shared a glance before they shrugged and left.

As soon as they'd turned heel, Maria exhaled. "Thanks, guys."

The three of them nodded. "Don't mention it," Stephanie replied, "you're our friend and friends stick up for one another."

Without thinking, Stacy looked over at Mickie, who was standing in her own little group. She glared over at them and began speaking.

"Which means, you've all got a choice. You can stick with that backstabbing slut or me. It's you guys's choice." She gave Maria a bitchy smile and again, Maria could only look away.

Torrie's blood began to boil. Before she could think about it, she stomped over to where Mickie stood. She sneered sarcastically at her. "You're really a bitch, you know that? Maybe Maria and Jeff hooked up, but did you even give her a chance to apologize? To explain? Maybe if you weren't so self-absorbed, you'd realize that Maria's been leaving Jeff alone _for you_. And you know what, you don't even care! If you had a-"

"Shut up!" came a voice that was not Mickie's. Torrie looked to her left, seeing Kelly glowering at her.

"Excuse me?" Torrie asked, switching her glare to Kelly.

"Leave Mickie alone," she said, "you're wrong. If anyone's a bitch here, it's Maria. Hell, it might even be you."

That was too much for John. It was time that he get Torrie away from this. He couldn't handle people calling her names and he knew that Torrie's temper was about to get the best of her. He ran over to where she faced Kelly and tugged on her arm. "Tor, let's just go, okay?"

"No," Torrie said, "I wanna hear what this little bimbo has to say."

"Kelly's not a bimbo," chimed in Maryse, who just happened to be standing there.

Stacy and Stephanie finally decided to join Torrie. There was no way that they were going to let her face the wrath of Mickie's newfound posse by herself. Maria, who was still too ashamed to speak, stayed with Randy, Hunter, and Punk.

"It doesn't really matter if she is," Stacy interposed, "she's _wrong_. Mickie's got no right to speak to Maria that way. They were best friends, for God's sake!"

Ashley's temper began to flare, too. "Which is why she _does _have an excuse, Stacy! Damn, it's as simple as that!"

"Actually, no, it's not," Lita interjected, "if Mickie wasn't being considerate of Maria's feelings, it's her fault, too. I'm not saying Maria's a saint, but I am saying that Mickie isn't, either."

By this time, the guys in the group were so perplexed by the girls' actions that all they could was watch. Never had they ever seen _all_ of them go at it like this.

"Lita, what the hell?" Candice asked, "Mickie was dating Jeff. If Maria decided to be a tramp and sleep with her, it makes her in the wrong. It's that simple!"

"I don't think so," Trish said to Candice, "Mickie's always been self-centered. I don't think she ever gave two shits about Maria. Or Jeff. Or any of us for that matter."

Lilian could have laughed. "That is the most _ridiculous_ thing I've ever heard. If she didn't care about Maria why should she have stuck with her this long? And why the hell isn't Maria standing over here with you guys?"

Mickie snickered. "She's scared of me, isn't she."

Maria sighed, dragging her feet to where her defenders' stood. She hung back behind Lita and Trish.

That did it. Torrie was through with this arguing shit. "Mickie, so help me God, if you don't shut the hell up, I will personally _ruin_ you. Better kiss that pretty face goodbye."

"I'd like to see you try-"

"Stop it!" Miss Laurer, yelled running over with Mrs. Runnels and Mrs. Lesnar. "You're all way better than this."

"Yes, Miss Laurer," Mickie smirked, "we were just leaving for class, right girls?" she turned to Maryse, Kelly, Ashley, Candice, and Lilian.

"Right," Kelly replied.

"I don't want to see the rest of you talking today. Not at all," Mrs. Runnels announced.

"And if we do see it, there will be very severe consequences," Mrs. Lesnar added.

The three female teachers watched as the two groups folded out, still glowering at each other.

That was when Evan, who was late came into the school, hand-in-hand with Gail. "What the hell just happened?" Evan asked, staring at the two groups of girls.

"Man," Chris said, putting his hand on Evan's shoulder, "you don't even want to know."

**Whoa! That was heated. LOL, I love, love, loved writing it. I LOVE angry Torrie, lol. That's the way I'd react, so I decided to make Torrie act that way, too. So, in case you're a bit confused, we've now got two different sets of girlfriends. There's Mickie's: Maryse, Ashley, Candice, Lilian, and Kelly. And Maria's which is more or less Torrie's: Torrie, Stacy, Stephanie, Trish, and Lita. The guys are all just kind of letting it happen. **

** So, are we on team Mickie or team Maria? I'm not gonna say what team I'm on, but I'm sure you already know. The next chapter's gonna be a few months later and a recap of what's been going on. That will lead into homecoming, which will be our next big event. **

** Now, onto some actual wrestling talk. Everyone's buzzing on Twitter about the Maria/Kelly Kelly thing. I know Maria probably shouldn't have said anything, but in her defense, she **_**was **_**asked about it. I don't mean to offend anyone at all, that's just the way I feel about it. I still love Maria and I'm not going to stop just because she **_**said**_** one thing. Not all of the divas are gonna like each other, and that's just the truth. I can tell you one thing, if I was a diva, I probably wouldn't like a lot of them, too. And Kelly didn't have to say anything about it. The smart thing would have just been to let it go and be the bigger person. Saying you're the bigger person doesn't make you the bigger person, I'm sorry, but it doesn't. All it does it make you seem positive, while you're still getting back at them. I like both of them, so why don't we just let it go. It's their business, not ours. Like I said, I hope I didn't offend you. I just wanted to let y'all know what I thought about the whole situation. **

** This chapter's named after "What Have You Done" by Within Temptation and Keith Caputo. Thanks, Kelly, I love this song! **

** Hope you enjoyed and I hope you don't mind the Kelly/Maria rant. **

** Peace, love, & Angry Torrie**

** -Kalina; JorriexLove**


	23. Chasing Pavements

**The last chapter was greeted with mixed reviews. Most of the people who reviewed, loved it. But there were a few who didn't. Personally, I did and I don't really care if you hated it. One of the main questions was "where's Jeff in all this?" Guys, I didn't put him in because he's in the **_**parking lot**_**. I said that in the chapter before. Obviously, he was just as upset as Mickie and Maria, and being a guy, he's hiding from his problems. It's not true that no one ever cared about Mickie. That's not true, either. What I merely did was have them pick sides. And I made sure to put an equal amount of girls on each side. I don't think all of Maria's friends would turn on her, just like I don't think all of Mickie's friends would turn on her. They all have their opinions about it and I was trying to show that. **

** I guess some of you think that someone should have told Mickie that Maria liked Jeff. But see, the thing is, because Mickie and Maria were best friends, everyone assumed Mickie knew about it. I HINTED at all of this. I was foreshadowing, and if you didn't get that, I'm sorry, but as the Celine Dion song says, "That's the Way It is!" **

** I know that I made Maria seem really weak, but that **_**was **_**the point. She's grief-stricken, and so is Mickie. I'm trying to display how different people handle things differently. I threw Torrie in there so that Maria wouldn't get kicked while she was down because I know there's a lot of Maria fans, just as there's a lot of Mickie fans. I'm not trying to pick on anyone or offend anyone, I truly appreciate and love you all, I just want to answer your questions. All I can say is, if you don't like it, don't read it. I'm not forcing you to! I sincerely hope you all choose to stick with me, though.**

** ***Remember this: Jeff kissed Maria. NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. **

** Okay...on to the next chapter. **

The month of October drifted away slowly and melancholically. Because of Jeff and Maria's screwup, the entire group had been affected. Torrie, Stacy, Maria, Stephanie, Lita, and Trish weren't speaking to Mickie, Ashley, Maryse, Kelly, Lilian, or Candice. The guys didn't know how to react, what with the fact that they were friends with all of them. And that wasn't the only change within the group.

Gail Kim was now in their group, thanks to Evan. He really, really liked Gail and it was the same for her. They'd been dating exclusively for about a month now. She wasn't really on either side of the major Mickie/Maria war, but she was leaning more toward Mickie's since she was friends with Kelly. Which was a bit strange, due to the fact that Evan used to have a huge crush on the blond.

Ted and Maryse were no more. Thanks to Michelle and Miz's scheme, Ted dumped Maryse. He was hurt and so was she, but they were over now. No one really knew exactly what happened because the two hadn't discussed it much. But Ted was slowly making his way back to his old girlfriend, Michelle McCool. Maryse, however, wasn't dating anyone else. She wasn't over Ted, simply enough.

Punk was still after Kelly and she was still rejecting him. He didn't mind, but he also couldn't seem to get AJ Lee out of his head. He couldn't figure out what was going on with her and Daniel Bryan and it didn't look like he was going to.

Randy and Stacy were still holding onto their 'agreement.' Surprisingly, it was actually working out. For the time being.

John and Torrie were still taking things very slowly. Although they were as much in love as they'd ever been, they didn't want to screw anything up. John Cena Sr. and Lana Wilson were dating still, too. It was a bit weird, but their children had gotten past it.

Dawn and Al were in the process of planning their May wedding, much to Torrie's dismay. Dawn was the stepmother that she never wanted and her dad had definitely changed, too. Worst of all, Torrie's little brother, Matt, still wasn't speaking to her.

Dave was _still_ too nervous to ask Candice out. And, she was still stripping. 'Candy Coated Candice Michelle' was one of the most powerful performers at Wicked. She was also the most requested for lap dances. The tips were great and her family was finally getting back on track. Her mother had

Chris and Trish were working on getting back together. Christian was in the past and that was that. Now, they were from being a couple again, but it didn't look as far off as it did before.

Matt and Lita were still going strong, as were Edge and Ashley. Not that they hung out any more, thanks to Mickie and Maria's fight. This meant that Matt and Adam couldn't really hang out that much, because of their girlfriends' grudges against each other.

Lilian was still getting notes, despite the fact that Ruthless Aggression had broken up. She was singing with a new band at D's every Saturday now. Of course, they were nowhere as good as Ruthless Aggression had been, but at least she was still singing. And she still had no idea who her admirer was.

Hunter and Miss Laurer were still carrying on their little affair-occasionally. At the moment, Hunter was still very attracted to Stephanie and the fact that she hadn't told anyone about him and their English teacher. She'd made a promise that she'd promised to keep and that was that.

Cody was still keeping Layla at a distance. Since she'd rejected him at Candice's party in August, he was having a lot of trouble plucking up the courage to talk to her again. Besides, her friends were complete bitches and he didn't really want to associate with them. So for the time being, he was still single.

And Shawn? He was still crushing hard on a certain blond. And so far, he was the only one who knew about it. He actually preferred it that way. With it the way it was, he didn't have to worry about teasing or awkward, embarrassing moments.

Jeff was numb. Totally, utterly, and completely numb. He felt excruciatingly awful for hurting both Mickie _and_ Maria. It had occurred to him on more than one occasion that if he hadn't of kissed Maria that night, he would still he with Mickie, the band would still be together, and they wouldn't be in this mess.

But, then again, if he hadn't have kissed her, he probably wouldn't have _ever_ known how he felt about Maria. And he had some major feelings for her, which he could do nothing about. Neither one of the girls were speaking to him.

They all had new reputations, too. Mickie's was that she was a bitter bitch and Maria's was that she was a backstabbing slut. Jeff's was that he was a two-timing cheater. None of this was actually true, but thanks to one mistake, they'd probably never be the same.

Maria felt the same way. Though she'd found new friends in Torrie and Stacy, and the rest of them, she missed Mickie. They'd been friends a long time and nothing could change that.

But more than that, she missed Jeff.

She missed being able to just walk up to him and talk. She missed saving his ass at parties and being his partner in monologues in drama class, which Mickie had insistently transferred out of. She had no more classes with neither Jeff nor Maria, thanks to Stephanie. For Maria and Jeff's sake, Steph had spoken to her mother and father about switching Mickie out. Mickie preferred it that way, anyhow.

"Good morning, WWEHS!" senior class president, Natalya Neidhart announced that Friday morning in mid-October, "have we got some news for you! Since homecoming's next week, it's time to announce your homecoming court!"

There were cheers heard all around the school. Homecoming was a big deal, especially since this year they were facing TNAHS, their rivals. WWE and TNA high had been longtime rivals, a rivalry that had been going on for over fifty years.

"In the Freshman class, your maids are," Nattie, as she was called by mostly everyone cleared her throat, "Krissy Vaine and Christy Hemme. Sophomore maids are Beth Phoenix and Alicia Fox. The junior maids are Victoria Varon and Melina Perez. And finally, your senior maids are Rosa Mendes, Eve Torres...and Lilian Garcia!"

In English class, Lilian's jaw dropped. She was totally shocked. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed.

"Congratulations, Lil!" her best friend, Candice gushed.

Torrie could have rolled her eyes as she shared a glance with Stacy. A month ago, the four of them had been best friends, but now, they just weren't. Mickie and Maria had totally changed that.

Eve sneered her nose at Lilian and Candice before saying, "Good luck."

"Don't forget to vote for who you want to be queen," Natalya announced, "Lilian, Eve, or Rosa. And also, dress up each day next week based on the theme! Monday is pajama day, but there won't be any sleeping! Have a great day, everyone!"

The intercom shut off with a click.

"All right," Miss Laurer said, "don't forget about your essays. They're due Monday, too."

Ironically enough, the class had been assigned an essay, who's purpose was to examine analytical thinking. 'What makes a friend' was the theme. None of them really knew that at the moment, actually.

However, the rough draft of Lita's essay was making her think about what was going on between all of them.

_What does make a friend? Obviously, it's someone who cares about you, who takes all your feelings into consideration, and makes an effort to at least try to understand everything you do. It's someone who backs you up one-hundred percent and makes sure that you're always involved and never left out. Having good friends is hard. Being a good friend is even harder._

_ But those who think that, 'a friend is forever,' are full of crap. If anyone believes that, they need to reevaluate their thinking. Not everything is forgivable and sometimes, people just aren't compatible. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just the way it is. There is however, a such thing as 'a friend for the time being,' which is what happens a lot of times._

Lita looked over at Ashley and sighed. She'd lost one of her best friends over their own opinions. Maybe they weren't meant to be friends.

Maybe they were just meant to be cross each other's paths.

**I hope y'all aren't too disappointed with this chapter. It's mostly a 'catchup' chapter, so that you'll all know what's been happening for the past month. Our next big event is going to be homecoming and it's going to be bigger than Candice's party AND Ruthless Aggression's show.**

** Speaking of Candice, she and Dave's story line is about to really blossom in the next chapter, I promise. It's probably gonna shock you where they happen to meet. LOL, I hope so. **

** Heehee, TNA High VS WWE High. What do you all think of that? And yes, I know that Christy's on TNA now, **_**but**_** she started off in WWE. She won the diva search, remember? **

** So, Lilian's a homecoming maid! I bet you weren't all expecting that. Usually in these stories, it's Trish or Torrie or Maryse or Kelly. But I decided to switch it up a bit. I've actually done a lot of that in this story. Usually, the rich girl's Melina, the top dog of the school's Randy, the top dog's best friend is John, and Trish is the queen bee. And Jeff's typically kind of nerdy. BUT not in this one. I like being different, you know. **

** I'm sorry to disappoint some people, but there won't be any John/Mickie story lines. Mickie and John just aren't compatible to me and I don't like the pairing. AT ALL. If you'd like to see Mickie paired up with anyone else, though, just tell me. I'd be glad to try it out, maybe try to squeeze it into what I've got planned for her. Trust me, we haven't seen the last of Miss James. **

** I really want to thank LegsxRko. She knows what it's for and why. I don't know what I'd do without you, girl, so thanks sooooo much! :)**

** This chapter's named after Adele's "Chasing Pavements."**

** Well, I hope you all don't hate me **_**too**_** much. **

** Peace, love, & WWE**

** -Kalina; JorriexLover**


	24. It Matters to Me

** Before I get into the chapter, I want to dedicate it to one of the SWEETEST girls I've ever managed to come across in the world wide web, lol. That would be XangelofosloX. My gosh, what can I say about her? She's so nice and she's always there when I need to talk (type) to someone. We talk all the time on Twitter and I'm so glad. She's really given me a confidence boost **_**and**_** I'm glad to call her a great friend. Thank you so much, girl. I don't know where I'd be without you! :)**

** Speaking of Twitter, follow me! **** /JorriexLover**** I follow back! :)**

** There was a comment saying that if it came to wrestling, Maria's team would kick Mickie's team's asses. LOL, I thought that was funny, but it actually made sense. But then, when you've got Trish **_**and**_** Lita on the same team, it's hard to beat them. Besides, they've also got Torrie, Stacy, Stephanie, Maria. And they're all angry. So, it would be **_**very **_**interesting to see what happened. **

** Anyway, onto the chapter!**"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday, you asshole, happy birthday to you!" Dave's cousin, Dwayne sang, laughing.

Dave rolled his eyes at him. "Thanks, fucktard," he replied, "where's my present?"

"Right here," Dwayne said, pulling a small card out of his pocket. He smirked and handed it to Dave.

"What is this?" Dave asked, staring at it, "Who's 'Michael Johnson' and why's he got my picture on this thing?"

"It's for tonight," Dwayne answered sitting down and folding his hands behind his head.

"Tonight?"

"Yeah," Dwayne replied, "for the strip club."

Dave's eyebrows raised. "We're going to a strip club?"

"Yes," Dwayne said, nodding, "not that I think you really need it, 'cause you look about twenty-seven, what with the height and beefiness, but it's a precaution."

"Who said I was going?" Dave asked.

"I never asked," Dwayne answered, "you're going and that's final. I paid a lot for this thing. And you're gonna have a good time, even if you gotta bring one of the whores with you."

"I thought it was a strip club, not a brothel," Dave questioned.

Dwayne shrugged. "I heard that if you pay extra, they'll come home with ya. It's worth a shot."

Dave chuckled. "Yeah, a shot of chlamydia. Damn it, Dwayne! Don't you know what kind of diseases prostitutes have?"

His cousin shrugged again. "Oh well. So you're in?"

Dave sighed. "Why the hell not? I'm eighteen now. What's it called, anyway?"

"Wicked," Dwayne replied.

...

"So, what do you think of this one?" Lilian asked, hugging a bright blue dress to her chest.

"It's pretty," Candice replied.

Lilian frowned. "That's what you said about the last five!"

Candice gave Lilian an exasperated smile. "Honey, I'm sorry. It's just, I've got work at six and it's already five-thirty. But I can call in sick, if you-"

"No, no," Lilian retorted, "if you need to get to work, go ahead. I'll call...," she trailed off. Usually, she would have called Torrie or Stacy, but she couldn't now.

"Try Kelly, Gail, or Maryse," Candice offered, "I'm sure they'd help you."

Lilian smiled wanly and nodded. "Okay," she thanked Candice, "thanks for coming with me, Candy. I've never been a homecoming maid, so I'm not sure what to wear to the actual thing."

Candice smiled. "I never was either! But, you're welcome, anyway."

Lilian leaned over and hugged her best friend. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Okay," Candice replied, "bye, bye!"

"Bye, have fun at Mickey D's!"

Candice pursed her lips at the sound of McDonald's. No one knew she wasn't working there anymore. And no one would.

After Candice left, Lilian sighed. She really and truly didn't know what dress to get. More importantly than that, she had no idea who was going to escort her at the pep rally. Of course, her father would at the game, but at the pep rally at school, she had to have a football player escort her. John and Randy were both out, thanks to Torrie and Stacy, Punk and Dave were holding flags, it seemed like everyone had an excuse.

"Lilian?"

Lilian looked up from the repulsive sea foam green dress she'd been looking at. She smiled. "Hey, Zack! What in the world are you doing here?"

After all, this _was_ a women's dress boutique.

He rolled his eyes. "My mom's getting a dress for my aunt's wedding. The main color is yellow, so everyone's gonna be looking like giant lemons."

Lilian giggled. "I'm serious," he replied, "I'm talking yellow flowers, yellow dresses, yellow boutonnières, yellow table cloths, plates, cups, damn!"

Lilian's giggles turned into actual laughs, loud guffaws. When she calmed down, she asked, "Does this mean that you're gonna be wearing a yellow tie and vest?"

He nodded. "It sure does. God, I can't believe it."

"When is it?" Lilian asked, curiously.

Zack chuckled. "December."

Lilian furrowed her brows. "And...the theme's yellow? Why not red and green?"

Zack cracked a smile. "I haven't got a clue, Lil. I haven't got a clue."

Suddenly, a plump blond woman began waving at Zack, motioning for him to come over to her.

"Gotta go," he said, "but it was nice talking to you," he smiled at her.

She grinned back. "Yeah, it really was."

Lilian watched as Zack turned his back and ran over to his mother, who had a yellow dress with puffy sleeves in her arms.

Suddenly, an idea popped into Lilian's mind. When she and Zack had been discussing his aunt's "lemon" wedding, she'd mentioned red and green. Why not green? It was a great color for her and really complimented her skin tone.

And then, she saw it.

The dress was long and it had a jewel-encrusted bodice. It was deep green and very eye-catching. It looked a lot like a red-carpet dress, which was exactly what she was shooting for.

And as soon as she started walking toward it, Shawn Michaels reached for it, and yanked it off of the rack.

Her steps soon turned into a run. "Shawn!"

Shawn looked up and saw Lilian running toward him. He was slightly taken aback. Why the hell was she running at him?

"Shawn," she said, breathlessly.

Shawn made a face at her, a confused one. "What is it?"

Lilian tried to catch her breath. "That dress...are you buying it?"

"I was planning on it," he replied.

She gave him a puzzled glance. "It's for my sister," he explained, "she sent me up here for it. Size four."

Lilian looked a bit closer. "Shawnie, this looks a bit small to be a four."

He reached for the price tag and sure enough, it read 'two.' His face turned beet red. "Oh, God."

Lilian giggled. "It's fine, Shawn. Look, you can ask the people behind the counter for the right size. If they don't have it, you can just order it. And you can give this one to me."

Shawn gave Lilian a baffled look. "Give it to you?"

She nodded. "I really want this dress for homecoming. You know, the ceremony right before the game."

"Oh," Shawn said, reddening more.

"What's the matter?" Lilian asked, "Do you feel all right?"

He nodded. "It's just...really hot in here."

It didn't feel hot to Lilian. In fact, she'd been wishing she'd brought her hoodie in with her, but maybe Shawn was just hot-natured. "Oh," she said, smiling.

Shawn almost looked...embarrassed. Lilian didn't know what to do to make him feel better.

"Here," he said handing the dress to Lilian, "I'll go ask for another one."

Lilian smiled at him. "Thanks, Shawnie."

Shawn blushed even more furiously. "Y-you're welcome, Lil. Oh, and by the way...I've been meaning to tell you th-that you sing...amazingly," he stammered.

This time, it was Lilian's turn to turn red. "Thank you. I'm glad to hear you like it."

He gave her a small smile and a slight wave before turning away and walking toward the counter.

...

"I'm serious, Lay," Rosa said over the phone that afternoon.

Layla chuckled. "There's no way I'm doing that. I don't want to be seen out with him!"

Rosa sighed, rolling her eyes. "Fine, I'll do your Algebra homework for two weeks."

"You don't do your own homework!" Layla exclaimed.

"Okay," Rosa said, "I'll make Curt Hawkins do it, then."

Layla paused, thinking it over. "Why not. I don't get that shit, anyway. Besides, I haven't been evil in a while."

Rosa smiled. "Great, that's my girl!" then she read off a number.

"Okay," Layla said, "I got it," she programmed it into her iPhone.

"So, just call him and ask him to meet you at Copeland's," she chuckled, "for a date."

Layla snorted. "Yeah, a date that won't ever happen."

"He's gonna be so embarrassed!" Rosa replied, "I'll send AJ or the Bellas out there to take pictures."

"Facebook-bound?" Layla asked, giggling.

"Facebook, Twitter, _and_ Pinterest."

...

"Maurice's, Dillard's, Charlotte Russe...am I forgetting anything?"

"Uh...not that I know of," Maria laughed.

She, Stacy, and Torrie were at the mall. Well, Stacy _had _been, but she'd gotten a call from a friend, and she had to leave. So now, it was only Torrie and Maria. They were shopping for dresses to wear to the Homecoming dance, despite the fact Maria kept insisting that she wasn't going. Torrie was determined for Maria _to_ go. It was high time Maria snap out of this depression she was in.

Torrie chuckled. "I just want to make sure we go everywhere so that we don't miss any sales or opportunities."

Everyone knew Torrie was a champion shopper...or maybe it was a dose of shopaholic syndrome.

Torrie linked her arm through Maria's. "We've already been to Charlotte Russe and Dillard's, so let's head over to Maurice's, okay?"

Maria nodded, smiling at her new good friend. "Thank you, Torrie," she whispered.

Torrie grinned. "What for?"

Maria shrugged. "Just being my friend through all of this. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Torrie's grin grew to a beam and she squeezed her shoulder. "You're welcome, honey. God knows we all need someone. You're one of my very best friends, you know that?"

"Well, no," Maria countered, "Stacy's your best friend."

"Maria, I said you're _one_ of my best friends. It's possible to have more than one best friend, you know?" Torrie said, her hand on her hip.

"Really?" Maria asked.

"Yes," Torrie replied, "just like Stacy's got a cousin that she's really, really close to."

Maria grinned. "You're one of my best friends, too, Torrie. Actually, you're probably the only one I've got left."

Torrie shook her head no. "Now, you know that's not true," she retorted, "Stacy, Stephanie, Lita, and Trish are _all_ on your side. They're all your friends."

Maria tried to smile. "Everything just feels so weird, Tor. I...I haven't spoken to Jeff or Mickie since that day last month."

Torrie frowned. "Really? But you all live on the same street. I mean, the Mickie part doesn't shock me, but has Jeff not tried to talk to you?"

Maria stared at the floor. "Well, he's tried, but...," she trailed off.

"You haven't let him?" Torrie answered for her, quietly.

Maria didn't answer.

"Maria!" Torrie exclaimed, "Why not? Don't you still love him?"

Maria took a deep breath before staring at Torrie. "Of course I still love him!" she exclaimed, "I just don't want to put Mickie through anything more than she has already."

Torrie rolled her eyes and sighed. She wasn't upset with Maria, it was just that the situation _still_ really pissed her off. Then, she tilted her focus over to the store they were currently standing beside, which was Journey's.

Suddenly, a mane of long, rainbow-colored hair caught Torrie's eye. It was none other than Jeff Hardy, dressed in a black sleeveless top, a mesh over-shirt, black trip pants with neon zippers all over them, and blue DC's. He was wearing purple gauges in his ears and he was biting his lip, as if he were feeling wary.

"Jeff!" Torrie called out, waving.

Maria looked over at Torrie and then turned, seeing Jeff standing there, waving hesitantly at Torrie. "Tor-"

"Come on," Torrie yanked Maria over to where Jeff stood.

Torrie smiled at the two before saying, "You two talk. Now. Or I will rip those gauges out of your ears, Jeff. And Maria, I'll destroy your Celine Dion CD collection. I was planning on stealing it, anyway." She winked at her friend before skipping over to Maurice's and disappearing into the store.

Jeff and Maria stood there awkwardly for what seemed like hours. Neither of them knew what to say.

"So...," Maria trailed off, staring at Jeff's bag from Journey's, "What do you got in there?"

He cracked a smile. "Some new vans. They're canvas, so I'm gonna paint them."

Maria couldn't help but smile. She missed talking to Jeff about his art.

"Look, Maria," he said softly, "I'm sorry. I'm really, really sorry."

She shook her head. "Jeff, this is my fault. I should have told you and Mickie both how I felt from the beginning. I was...I was stupid."

"Maria, don't say that," Jeff said, "I was the stupid one. I shouldn't have kissed you. I should've...," he trailed off.

Maria took a deep breath. "Could've, should've, would've isn't getting us anywhere."

"Neither is you ignoring me," Jeff gave Maria a hard look, "you blocked my number, haven't you?"

She didn't answer.

"And you told my mom not to let you. You blocked me online, you told your mom to intercept anything in the mail, you won't look at me at school. How am I supposed to fix this when you won't even let me talk to you?!"

Maria stared at her feet. "I don't know...I just figured that it would be easier if we just didn't contact each other. I mean, Mickie won't let _me _explain, either. She totally blames me-"

"Really, now?" Jeff asked, raising an eyebrow, "She hasn't said anything to me."

"She hasn't?" Maria asked, clearly confused.

"Not a word," Jeff replied, "I don't know if she's pissed at me or not, but she changed her relationship status on Facebook from _in a relationship_ to _single_."

Maria had always wanted to be able to change her status to _in a relationship with Jeffrey Nero Hardy_. But it was and probably would always be _single_.

"Why would she just blame me?" Maria asked, frowning.

Jeff shrugged. "I don't know, Maria. I don't know."

Maria gave Jeff a small smile. "Whatever, I guess. I've got Torrie and Stacy, Stephanie, Trish, and Lita. If she wants to be mad, she can be mad. I've tried my hardest to fix it, but if she won't listen, I just can't fix it."

Jeff sighed. "I still love you, you know that?"

Maria's smile turned upside down a little into a slight frown. "I love you, too," she replied, "and I'm sorry."

She gave him one more tearful smile before turning to find Torrie.

...

"Hey, AJ!"

AJ looked up from the booth she was sitting at and smiled. "Hi, Punk. What brings you here?"

He shrugged. "Food, I guess."

She laughed.

"And you?" he asked.

Her smile faded a bit. "I'm meeting Daniel here. He was hungry. Are you eating alone?"

He shook his head. "Naw, I'm meeting Chris, Shawn and Hunter. They were actually supposed to be here sooner. Hunter dropped by to see a friend, Chris is bringing Trish, and Shawn had to pick up a dress for his sister."

AJ giggled. "I can see Shawn with a dress."

Punk ran his fingers through his hair. "Hopefully he doesn't try it on."

AJ laughed even more. "Yeah, that'd be-"

She stopped when the sight of Daniel came to her eyes. He was glaring straight at her, then shifted it to Punk.

"Hey, Punk," Daniel said through gritted teeth.

Punk's smile faltered. "Hey, Daniel. Listen, I'm gonna let you two be alone. Bye, AJ."

"Bye," she whispered.

Daniel sat down and glowered at AJ. "You are so gonna get it when we get back to my house..."

...

"Cody, is that you?" Mickie said, later on that night. Here she was, at Copeland's all by herself, eating yet another chef salad.

She'd been doing this a lot lately. She wasn't totally sure how to feel. Her best friend had slept with her boyfriend and _she_ was getting blamed for some of it. It totally blew her mind that some of the students could think that. Sure, she and Jeff's relationship hadn't been perfect, but they'd been happy...hadn't they? There were some moments when she felt as if they were just rushing through it, putting on a happy face for everyone else.

Then there was Maria. Had she really been hurt that bad? If everything she'd said was accurate, Maria _had_ loved Jeff longer than Mickie. Perhaps more, too. But did that mean that it hurt her any less?

Unfortunately, no, it didn't.

It's one thing to be betrayed and it's one thing to be cheated on. But when you add them together, it's true and utter shit.

Cody Rhodes ran his hand over his hair. "Yeah, it's me."

Mickie smiled at him. "Here, have a seat."

Cody sat across from her in the booth. "Hey, Micks. What are you doing here?"

She shrugged sadly. "I've been coming here a lot lately. It's...peaceful. You here alone?"

He nodded. "Yeah, apparently. I got a text from Layla earlier telling me to meet her here. But...she hasn't showed yet."

Mickie took a bite of salad. "Maybe she's just been held up."

Cody gave Mickie a wan smile. "I was supposed to meet her here at six. I got here right on the dot."

"Oh...," Mickie trailed off.

'Oh' was right. The time was ticking dangerously near nine o'clock.

"Yeah," he said, grinning at her.

"I'm so sorry," Mickie apologized, reaching over and patting his hand.

"You're sorry?" Cody asked, "I'm sorry I let her do this to me."

Mickie shrugged. "She's a bitch."

"And a liar," Cody added.

"And a skank."

"And a troll."

"And a bug."

The two burst out laughing, sharing a smile. It felt good for both of them to smile. "And I'm sorry that Jeff and Maria did that to you," Cody said sadly.

Mickie shrugged. "I guess if anyone was gonna fuck my boyfriend it might as well have been Maria. Way to make it cliché."

Cody laughed. "It's gonna be okay. We're gonna be all right."

She nodded. "Agreed."

Cody took a deep breath, scanning the restaurant. There weren't very many people left, but since it was Saturday night, the people were bound to start pouring in at any time. Then, he thought about the next week, homecoming.

"You going to the dance?" he asked her.

"I don't know," she shrugged, "Kelly's been prying at me, but I don't know if I want to face _them_ in close proximities just yet. I mean, I haven't even had any classes with them. It's hard enough to share a street with them."

Cody laughed.

"Are you going?" she asked, eyeing him.

He shrugged. "I don't know, either. I'm dreading seeing Layla and her little posse Monday morning."

"Oh," she replied, "don't worry, they don't have the balls to say too much. I think Torrie, Stacy, and Stephanie scared them."

Just the thought of the three of them made Mickie angry...but saddened at the same time.

Cody bit his lip. "You wanna go with me? You know, just so that we don't feel incredibly...," he trailed off.

"Pitiful?" Mickie offered, smiling.

"Yeah," he replied with a small chuckle.

Mickie grinned at him. "You know what, Cody? I'd love to."

...

_You can't just go alone_.

_And why can't I?_

_ Because I can take you_.

Maryse grinned. She was chatting with Mike (Miz) on Facebook. He was trying his hardest to get her to go to the Homecoming dance with her. Honestly, she wasn't ready for another relationship...but maybe this would be fun.

_All right_, she typed, _but I don't kiss on the first date_.

_Somehow, I don't believe that_.

Maryse grinned one more time before logging off. Maybe Mike Mizanin was her one way ticket out of Ted Dibiase's life.

...

"So, _Rugrats in Paris_ or _Rugrats Go Wild_?" Lita asked Trish, grinning.

Trish laughed. "_In Paris_," she replied, "now, pass the popcorn."

This was the first sleepover that Trish and Lita had had in a long time. It felt really good for both of them to be hanging out again. They'd been best friends for years, and the small strain when Trish had been with Christian had really taken a toll on the both of them.

"It feels weird that Ashley and Maryse aren't here," Trish thought out loud.

"Yeah," Lita replied, "and Mickie and Maria."

Trish shrugged. "It wouldn't have been possible to invite them. Mickie and Maria...," she trailed off as Lita nodded, "and Ashley and Maryse are pissed at us."

"Usually, Stacy and Torrie and Stephanie would be here, too. Maybe even Kelly," Lita added, "I can't believe we're all...what are we doing?"

"Fighting?" Trish offered, "Arguing? Hell, I don't know. All I know is that until Maria and Mickie resolve this, we're gonna be split. I mean, Mickie called Maria a slut, Kelly called her _and_ Torrie bitches, Torrie called Mickie a bitch and Kelly a bimbo, Candice called Maria a tramp-"

Lita chuckled. "And you called Mickie self-centered. That was actually a little funny. Usually, you're not one to call names."

Trish shrugged. "I was just calling it as I saw it." Her eyes drifted to an old photograph, one of herself, Chris, Lita, Matt, Edge, and Ashley.

"I remember that," she said, smiling.

"How?" Lita asked, laughing, "We were all as plastered as I don't know what. I think Edge and Ashley may have been high, too."

Trish and Lita exchanged a laugh.

Finally, Trish took a deep breath and said, "Lita, there's something I need to tell you...It's about Christian." **Wow, this has to be one of my longest chapters (on this story) so far. I tried to at least mention everyone, if I didn't put them in. I think I got everybody, but if I didn't, I apologize. **

** Plot twist! We've got a new love interest for Mickie. I don't know if y'all like the Cody/Mickie pairing, but I always have, so we'll see how that progresses. Jeff and Maria talked and I was actually tearing up on that part. Jeff just brings emotion out of me, lol. **

** I'm gonna end this on a short note because I'm really exhausted and I'm ready to go to bed. Which is sad because as I'm writing this, it's Sunday night and only 7:02. But, today was my dad **_**and**_** one of my best friend's birthday. My head hurts, too. **

** Just so you guys know, I've been working on this chapter all weekend long, so I hope it's good. I like it a lot.**

** I tried to put in some of Mickie's feelings so that you all don't think I'm some kind of cold-hearted bitch. I've also been reluctant to put in any Rosa Mendes stuff because I'm feeling awful for her at the moment. It's bad enough that her deadbeat fiancé was beating on her, but he also had another fiancée. That's terrible and my heart goes out to her. I can't believe it took me this long to say that. **

** This chapter's named for Faith Hill's "It Matters to Me." I made a Eve/John/Torrie video with that song and by the time I saw the final product, I was tearing up like a baby.**

** All right, it's time for me to go to bed. I'm seeing stars across my computer screen...No, that's just my John Cena background! Did I mention that he's really HOT? Too bad...**

** Thanks for putting up with my weirdness. **

** Peace, love, & Jorrie!**** Kalina; JorriexLover**


	25. Straight Through My Heart

**Chapter 25 already?! That's a shocker, actually. I've been working on this story since May. Only four months and it's already over 60,000 words. I'm doing fairly good, I think. And over 170 reviews! Woo, woo, woo! Thanks y'all. *Grins shyly. **

** I want to dedicate this chapter to my crazy little reviewer, Dakota (FreakierThanFreaks). She's my self-proclaimed biggest fan. Monday, I opened my inbox and I saw that she reviewed every single chapter of every single one of my chapters. I was speechless. Thank you soooo much, Koda! I lurrrrrvvvveeee you, but in a totally non-weird way, lol...**_**Guess who's back? Back again? Shady's back, tell a friend!**_** (Sorry, inside joke).**

** AND, she's gonna write a story similar to this one, most of the same pairings and everything, so make sure you all check that out! :)**** By the way, this chapter was hard for me to write. I felt...awkward and you'll see why when you read it. **

** Well, here we go... **

Dwayne pushed the doors to Wicked open and stepped in. The lights were all tinted pink and there was loud and obnoxious beats blasting throughout the club. He was grinning widely at the fact that Dave hadn't even been asked for an ID.

"Ready, little cousin?" he asked Dave, as a short blond with six-inch heels led them to their table.

Dave shrugged shyly. He just wasn't sure about this place.

"Can we get a special table?" Dwayne asked, "it's my cousin's birthday."

The blond winked. "Sure thing, stud."

Dave blushed.

She walked up to a table right in front of the pole. "Ordinarily, you have to pay extra for this, but since it's your birthday...," she trailed off.

Dwayne grinned, pulling his chair out and sitting down. "This is great!"

Dave stiffly sat down. He was really uncomfortable here.

"What can I get you to drink?" the waitress asked.

Before Dave could answer, Dwayne said, "Two bottles of Jack Daniel's, honey." He handed her a five dollar bill.

"Thanks, honey," she said, stuffing the five down her bra.

When she left, Dave rolled his eyes.

"What?!" Dwayne asked his cousin.

Dave sighed. "Listen, I'm just...I'm not-"

Before he could answer, a soft and breathy voice came over the loudspeaker.

"Good evening, boys. Are you ready for the show of a lifetime...?"

The crowd of eager men whooped and hollered.

"Then please welcome our first performer, Tantalizing Tamina!" the voice said.

A girl with dark, dark brown hair and olive-colored skin walked out onto the ramp and smiled provocatively at the crowd. Then she shook her way to the pole, where she began to grind. Money was being thrown at her left and right, including Dwayne. Dave, however, didn't really see the point of it. Sure, these men were probably here for a reason, but he had no reason to be there. Actually, he would have preferred a cake and the new Madden game.

"Here's your drinks," the blond waitress sat down their bottles of whiskey.

"Thanks," Dave said.

"You're very, _very_ welcome," the waitress gave him a smile before walking off.

Suddenly Tamina left the stage and the voice made another appearance. "Are you ready for a naughty little girl?"

Again, the crowd cheered.

"Then get ready for Masochistic Maxine!" the voice said triumphantly.

A girl with shiny brown hair appeared, dressed in head to toe black. In her hand was a black whip. She began shouting abuse to the crowd.

Dave sighed again. "Dwayne, I'm going to the bathroom, okay?"

Dwayne nodded. "All right."

The birthday boy dragged his feet to the bathroom, mumbling to himself the entire time.

The men's bathroom was virtually empty. Dave guessed that no one wanted to miss the 'show' out there. He actually didn't have to use the bathroom, he just wanted a break from all of the craziness. This wasn't how he wanted to spend his eighteenth birthday.

Sighing, he turned on the sink and splashed cold water on his face. He then dried it with a paper towel. It was time to endure it.

As he was coming out, he heard the breathy voice again. "Are you ready for sticky-sweet fun?" she asked, giggling.

Dave sat down and Dwayne grinned at him.

After the loud response, the voice said, "Then please put your hands together for _Candy Coated Candice Michelle_!"

Dave's ears perked up. Had he really just heard Candice Michelle?

He watched as a brunette came down the ramp wearing a very, very short pink skirt, and a pink trench coat.

This was Candice's signature look: brightly-colored tight clothing with a trench coat. It drove the men wild.

In her dark black boots, Candice strutted to the pole and began to swing her legs around it, grinning. Money was being thrown at her left and right and she could hear the men yelling, "Take it off!"

She was definitely used to that by now.

She looked around the crowd, seeing a few familiar faces. A lot of them were regulars with nothing better to do on Friday and Saturday nights.

But no face was more familiar than Dave Batista's.

He had a look of utter shock, disbelief, disappointment on his face. Candice was ashamed and embarrassed, but she could only wonder what he was doing there that night. Suddenly, it clicked that it was his birthday. Dwayne, his older cousin, must have brought him. She wanted to talk to him, explain everything, but that was going to have to wait.

At the moment, she had a job to do.

She danced on the pole, swinging her body to the music. She removed all of her clothing, blew a kiss to the crowd, gave Dave a sad look, and turned and left.

Instantly, Dave shot up from he and his cousin's table and sprinted briskly to the side of the ramp, where he assumed there was an entrance to the backstage area. He ignored his cousin's confused screams to come back. Luckily, he was correct and he managed to find the dressing room. He pushed the door open and yelled, "Candice!"

A few of the girls screamed, a few giggled, a few gasped. Candice looked down, shyly.

"Hey!" one of the backstage attendants, Skip Sheffield, a big beefy guy, grabbed Dave and spun him around. "This is for the performers, only!"

Candice stood up. "Skip, it's fine. He's a friend."

He gave her a hard look. "You sure?"

"Yeah," she replied, "it's fine. We'll...we'll go out in the hallway and talk."

He gave her another long stare before turning his back. "All right, then."

Candice breathed a sigh of relief. Skip freaked her out...a lot. She got up from her chair and padded her way over to where Dave stood with his arms crossed.

The first thing Candice said to Dave was, "It's not what you think."

"It's not what I think?" Dave asked, "Well, hell, Candice! What the fuck am I supposed to think? My cousin drags me here and then I find you falling outta your clothes for a motherfucking audience!"

Candice bit her lip and swallowed. "Look, I need money. My _family_ needs money. I worked at McDonald's and then I got fired-slash-quit. And I'm making way more here than I was there!"

"And that's supposed to make me feel better?" Dave asked, running his hands through his hair.

"I wouldn't be doing this if I didn't have to. I mean, it's not exactly a picnic for me, either," Candice defended herself.

"You're not doing this anymore, not on my watch," Dave said, crossing his huge arms.

Candice just about panicked. She placed her hands on his enormous arms and pleaded, "Dave, please don't tell anyone! I...I really need this job. My family's just getting by." Her eyes were filling with tears.

And Dave, of course, couldn't say no to Candice.

He took a massive breath. "Fine, I won't say anything. But you gotta promise to try and find a new job. Quit this screwball. And _do not_ give any more lap dances."

Candice smiled and sighed with relief. "Thanks, Dave. You're such a good friend."

Dave winced at the word, 'friend.' Regardless of what she was doing, he still had very strong feelings for her and wanted to be more than that.

But more than anything, he cared about Candice Michelle's wellbeing.

Candice stood on her tiptoes and kissed Dave on the cheek, making him blush slightly. "Thanks again," she whispered.

...

"What is it?" Lita asked Trish, her eyes filling with concern.

Trish took a deep breath. "You know how Christian and I...we broke up?"

Lita nodded. "Of course. I remember you being really upset."

"Well, I didn't tell you why...," Trish said, biting her lip, "why we broke up and all."

Lita gave Trish a puzzled look. "Do you even want to tell me?"

Trish swallowed and nodded. "It has to do with something I found out about him."

"What'd he do?"

"He was...," Trish trailed off, trying to find the words, "he was blackmailing some people."

Trish watched as Lita's face turned a pasty pale. "Oh..my...fuck! Trish, you can't tell anyone about this-"

"I know!" Trish exclaimed, "Lita, you're my best friend, I would never betray you like that. Besides, it's none of my business."

Lita sighed. "It only happened once, I swear."

"I know," Trish repeated, "and like I said, it's none of my business...I just thought that you should know."

"Did he need money _that_ bad?" Lita asked.

Trish shook her head sadly. "You wish. Christian...he's in love with you."

Lita's jaw dropped and her eyebrows raised. "He's in love with me?! What the hell?! If he's in love with me, why'd he date you for so long?"

"To get to you," Trish said, sadly.

"God, Trish," Lita said, patting her friend's arm, "I'm sorry."

Trish shrugged. "It's not your fault."

And it wasn't. But that didn't mean that it made everything okay.

"But what if...what if Christian tells people about what happened?" Lita asked, glancing at the photo herself, Trish, Matt, Chris, Ashley, and Edge.

"I don't know," Trish replied, "I guess we'll endure that when it happens."

What the friends didn't know was that the situation was right around the corner.

**Short, I know. Filler, I know. I just wanted to get this stuff over with so that it'll get more interesting. I hate fillers, but they're important. **

** I can't wait to find out who the number one contender for Sheamus's title is. I hope it's Randy Orton, and I bet it is since there's the rumors of their feud. However, I also read that Randy's not supposed to be allowed to participate in Summerslam because of the suspension. Whatever. If it's not Randy, I hope it's Cody Rhodes. I'm sick and tired of Del Rio. He gets on my damn nerves and he always has. I also hope it's not Wade Barrett. I really freaking hate that guy! He's so fucking stupid. **

** Anyway, enough of my profanities about stupid wrestlers, lol. The WWE's co-producing the new Scooby Doo movie. I can't wait for that, heehee. I love, love, love Scooby (I know, sad) and of course, I love WWE. Vince, AJ, Cena, and Kane are all supposed to voice characters. The premise is that Scooby and Shaggy win tickets to Wrestlemania and there's this Bear ghost or whatever that tries to ruin it. It's not due out until 2014. I'll be 18 by then...wow. **

** LOL, and by the way, I've finally seen more than one of the movies Cena stars in. I have **_**12 Rounds **_**on DVD and I like it WAY better than **_**The Marine**_**. He's way sexier in that one. Speaking of sexy, I had to change my background today because my English teacher asked me if I had a shirtless man as my wallpaper. I was like...yeah, but he's an athlete, I'm not a pervert! **

** Okay, so that's totally not true. **

** But that's beside the point. **

** The chapter's named for the Backstreet Boys' "Straight Through My Heart." My cousin's totally obsessed with them, so that's a nod to her. She loves wrestling, too. In fact, that's where I learned that Alanna Orton calls John Cena 'naked baby.' **

** Anyway, sorry about these stupid rambles. I'm sure none of you care about my day-to-day life. You're probably all like, "Quit babbling and write something!" **

** LOL, hope y'all enjoyed! **

** Peace, love, & Candy Coated Candice Michelle **

** -Kalina; JorriexLove**


	26. Why Ya Wanna

**Okay...so we're close to 200 reviews! I'm so excited for that. I must apologize to y'all, however, for criticizing Wade Barrett. I still don't like him, but since a lot of you do, I apologize, lol. So how about this, **_**I respect Wade Barrett as a wrestler and I respect the fact that a lot of you want to jump his bones, even though I don't. **_**Fine by me, gives me less competition for Cena and Orton and Rhodes, lol. **

**I want to give a shout-out to J4M3Z XO, if not just for the simple fact that his comment about 'naked baby' made me laugh, heehee. Oh, and some of y'all were wondering about that. Just go to youtube and search for Randy Orton's interview on Lopez Tonight. It's hilarious! **** Anyway, onto the chapter!**

That Monday,after a morning of being together, Stacy and Randy had finally pulled apart long enough to find their clothes and get dressed.

"You know, if we keep this up, we're gonna be tardy every day for the rest of the year," Stacy said, grinning.

Randy shrugged, pulling his black sweatshirt on. "Ah well, whatever. If we _don't_ keep this up, I'm gonna be upset."

Stacy laughed, stepping toward him and placing a fast kiss on his mouth. Well, that's what she'd meant it to be. As she went to turn away, Randy pulled her closer and kissed her deeply.

And Stacy, try as she might, _could not_ reject Randy. No matter what. She sighed against his lips, defeated again. She allowed his tongue to enter her mouth and they fell on his bed.

She could only wonder how long this would go on until one of them got hurt, because she knew one of them was going to. One of them, probably her, was going to want more and one of them, probably Randy, was going to want less. But Stacy loved Randy and that was the way it was. And we're all very vulnerable to the people we love.

Again, they were going to be late for school.

...

"Torrie, why do you have to be so slow?" John whined, staring at his girlfriend.

Torrie gave him a hard look. "John, I have to find one that's not burnt or hard or too soft or-"

John sighed. "All right. If you need me, I'll be getting a Gatorade."

Torrie flashed him a cute smile. "Okay. Oh, and get me a Mountain Dew."

He nodded, turning his back. Torrie went back to trying to find the right breakfast sandwich.

Exxon was always a very busy place, considering it was the nearest gas station to the school. Lots of people stopped there on their way to work or school to get gas, food, drinks, cigarettes, or gum. Or basically anything else they happened to want.

Torrie was very picky when it came to her breakfast sandwiches.

John walked over to the refrigerators, scanning them for the Gatorade. He picked up a fruit punch-flavored one and then headed over to the refrigerator full of soda, where he ran smack dab into a familiar rainbow-headed boy.

Jeff dropped his Skittles and reached down to pick them up.

"Sorry, man," John said, running his hand over his head.

Jeff gave him a halfhearted smile and said, "It's fine."

John frowned. Something was definitely up with the younger Hardy. "No, it's not," John retorted, "seriously, what's the matter?"

Jeff shrugged. "Maria, I guess."

John didn't know the inside story like Torrie did, but he did know that Maria and Jeff had slept together and that had been in the end of it. Well, besides the whole Mickie-and-Maria-split-rivalry thing. John didn't know how to explain that. "Oh."

"Yeah."

It was silent for a few moments until Jeff sighed and said, "John, I know we're not exactly close, but-"

John shrugged. "I still consider you one of my bros, Jeff."

Jeff nodded. "I know and I do, too. But...can I ask you a favor?"

...

CM Punk came into the school parking lot that morning, whistling and swinging his keys on his index fingers. This week was homecoming! And they were gonna totally kill TNAHS, that was for sure. He loved football and he loved his position. Punk played on defense as a cornerback. Basically, he was just a back position that was behind the linebackers. Nevertheless, he got to hit and he loved it. He loved knocking people down, too.

The only problem was that Coach Flair made him take his lip ring out. He hadn't wanted to, in fact, he even thought about keeping it on during games under his helmet just to spite him. But then again, he didn't want to be benched, either.

Punk was there earlier than usual because he needed to talk to Mr. Calaway about some of their homework. Calaway could be a creepy guy, but Punk actually liked him. He was a good teacher and Punk had always liked math, anyway. Especially Algebra. This year, he was in the advanced Pre Cal-Trig class and it was challenging, but he knew that it would benefit him in the long run.

Suddenly, Punk heard shouting. He frowned, looking around. There was no one in the parking lot that he could see. He shrugged. _Maybe I'm hearing things_, he thought to himself.

"AJ, what did I tell you?!"

Nope, he wasn't hearing things.

_What the hell?_

"Answer me when I'm talking to you!" the voice barked.

Punk shut the door to his truck and made a _hmm_ sound. Then, he heard a scream.

Punk looked around, finally locating the screams and hollers. What was going on.

He stepped closer, seeing Daniel Bryan and AJ Lee. Daniel was standing over AJ, looking sinister and AJ was scrunched up, looking away from him, fear and tears all over her face.

Without thinking it through, Punk ran over to Daniel's red Sedan and yelled, "What's the matter, AJ?"

Instantly, Daniel shot Punk a nasty glance and shoved AJ out of his vehicle and she hit the pavement with an obvious thump. As soon as she was out of his car, Daniel hopped back in, put it in reverse, gunned it, and sped out of the parking lot.

Punk darted to AJ's side and bent down, looking at her. Tears of shame, humiliation, fear, anger, and dejection all cascaded down her face like a waterfall.

"What _is_ the matter?" Punk asked, sighing.

AJ coughed and wiped at her eyes. Mascara was sliding down her face, too, and now she was embarrassed. She sniffed. "Nothing, Punk. He just scared me."

Punk ran his fingers through his hair. "Are...are you sure that's it?"

She nodded. "I'm fine, I promise. He just yelled because...because I forgot to...wash his...car."

Daniel's car hadn't looked _that_ dirty. Punk could tell by the way her eyes darted around and the sink of her teeth into her lips that she was lying.

"Oh...kay," Punk said, stretching the word out, "here," he held his hand out to her.

She smiled at him and he pulled her up. "Thanks again, Punk."

He grinned. "Don't mention it. Come on, I'll walk you in."

Punk could only wonder what was truly going on between Daniel and AJ. There was definitely something wrong, though he couldn't quite place it.

AJ wasn't lying about being scared. What she'd lied about was the fact that Daniel had a knife and he wasn't afraid to use it on her.

...

Stephanie was walking through the hallways, trying to balance her backpack, purse, laptop case, textbook, and her new library book, _Salem Falls_. Stephanie loved anything Jodi Picoult, and hopefully this one would be good, too.

She passed by a lot of the classrooms: Art, Music, Drama, Science, Math, Social Studies and...English, which for some reason, Hunter Levesque was coming out of.

"Hey, Hunt-"

Hunter didn't let Stephanie finish her declaration.

"Hope you're happy, 'cause little Hunter isn't." He all but glared at her.

"What?" she asked, puzzled.

He exhaled roughly. "Steph, I just ended things with Chyna. 'Cause I know if I didn't, you'd rat me out."

Stephanie's eyebrows raised. "First of all, I made a promise to you that I wouldn't breathe a word of it, and for the record, I still haven't, even though I could get her fired if I wanted to. Secondly, _she's a teacher_, Hunter. It's gross for you to even _think_ about screwing, but actually going through with it multiple times...," she trailed off and cringed.

Hunter rolled his eyes at her. "Yeah, well-"

"Thirdly, don't talk to me that way. If you didn't want me to find out, you should have never started it. And lastly, who in the hell is 'Little Hunter?'"

Hunter finally cracked a smile. He leaned over and whispered his answer in the youngest McMahon's ear.

"Ew!" Stephanie exclaimed, "Your dick? You call it 'little Hunter."

He shrugged. "It's not little, it's just smaller than me as a whole."

Stephanie covered her ears. "Shut up! Just shut the hell up," she flashed him a sneer, "_Paul_."

His glower returned and his eyebrows lowered into furrows. "My name is _not_ Paul! It's Hunter. H-U-N-T-E-R. As in, a deer hunter, a duck hunter, a skirt hunter. Also another name for the constellation Orion. An animal or person that hunts! A person searching for something!" His face turned red.

Stephanie tittered. "Paul. As in, St. Paul, Paul Newman, Paul McCartney-"

Hunter cracked a smile. God, how he loved the way Stephanie argued! How she called him on all of his bullshit, didn't take his stupid little comments seriously. It also drove him a little nuts, though.

"Okay, fine! You win, but I'm still pissed about the Chyna thing," he said, folding his arms across his chest.

Stephanie shook his head. "Are you sure _Miss Laurer _didn't dump _you_?"

Hunter didn't reply, but he did shrug.

"Hunter-"

"It was...it was mutual, I think," Hunter said, smiling at Stephanie.

"Oh, really?" she asked.

He nodded. "But I think she only said that it was over 'cause I did, too."

...

"Candy!"

Candice Michelle spun around to see her best friend, Lilian running over toward her. "Good morning, Lil. Did you find a dress?"

Lilian nodded. "I sure did. Look," she handed her Android to Candice for her to see. The Android was purple and orange striped, as colorful as Lilian's personality.

The dress was gorgeous, indeed.

"That green is gonna be so perfect!" Candice gushed, grinning at the picture, "It's great for your skin tone."

Lilian nodded. "That's why I got it, Candice. It feels so great on me, makes me feel like a princess."

Candice grinned. "Did you ever figure out who's gonna escort you?"

Lilian shook her head no. "No, I haven't. I mean, I saw Shawn Saturday and I thought about asking him, but he seemed...weird. And I can't figure out why."

Candice frowned. "Where did you see him?"

"Oddly enough," Lilian replied, "at the dress shop. Why?"

Candice shrugged. "No reason."

But Candice could only wonder if Shawn Michaels was the one sending Lilian the admirer notes. If so, that would be adorable. Yet, at the same time, if he was following her...that would just be plain creepy.

There was no chance of that, though...was there? Candice looked up to see Dave and Sheamus talking. "Maybe you could ask Sheamus..." Candice asked.

Lilian shrugged. "Let's go over and ask him."

"Okay," Candice replied.

The best friends headed over to Dave and the Dublin, Ireland native.

Dave looked up at Candice and they shared a knowing glance. Lilian and Sheamus, however, were oblivious at they began their conversation.

"Hey, Sheamus!" Lilian said, hugging him.

"Hey there, lady," he said, smiling at her, "what can I do for you on this fine day?"

Lilian giggled.

Everyone loved how happy Sheamus always was.

"Well," Lilian began, "I'm a homecoming maid and I kind of need an escort...could you do it?"

Sheamus's smile faded. "Sorry, dearest," he said, "but I'm leading one of the pep games."

Lilian's smile faltered, too, but soon returned. She swatted his arm. "Ah, well, it'll be okay. Do you know of anybody?"

Suddenly, someone joined them with a smile on their face.

"I'd be glad to."

...

"Lita, Lita, Lita," Matt sang, putting his arms around his girlfriend in the cafeteria that very same morning.

She giggled. "What in the _hell_ is wrong with you this morning, Matt?"

He shrugged. "Just happy, I suppose."

"Seniors rule!" Adam agreed, throwing his unopened orange juice carton in the air.

Ashley rolled her eyes at her boyfriend, but moved closer to him, snatching away his donut.

"Hey!" he exclaimed.

Ashley snickered and took a bite. "I'm hefty and hungry!" she announced, knowing full well she wasn't hefty. In fact, she'd been teased before for being _too skinny_. 'Beanpole,' as Eve and Rosa's clique had called her. Unlike most girls, she hadn't cried, she'd simply said, "Fuck off and die, bitch." Then, she flipped them off and went on with her life.

Edge huffed. "Now, I have no food."

"Here," Trish said, tossing a sausage biscuit at him, "I'm not hungry, so go ahead and take this."

"Thank you!" he announced, happily unwrapping it.

Chris laughed. "Ever the generous one."

She shrugged. "I can't help that I'm an angel."

Matt snorted. "Angel my ass."

Trish placed her hands on her hips. "Matty, don't hate me 'cause you ain't me!"

The whole table exploded with laughter. This was definitely something that the group had been missing for a while. After Trish and Chris broke up, they'd _both_ more or less left the group. Now that they were working on repairing their relationship, everything was seemingly okay.

Seemingly being the key word here.

Because try as she might to not notice it, Trish had seen the way Adam and Lita exchanged glances. And she knew that whatever had _really, really _happened was going to hurt a lot of people.

But nevertheless, she'd keep the secret because Lita _was_ her best friend. What Lita did in her relationships really wasn't Trish's business.

She just really didn't want to see Ashley _nor _Matt get hurt.

...

Cody and Mickie came into the lobby laughing and joking with each other. They'd spent most of the weekend together, talking about their problems, laughing at the dumb teachers, poking fun at Rosa's group, just relatively hanging out. It was good for both of them, really.

Cody made a beeline to his best friend, Ted, who was with his ex-girlfriend, Michelle.

If Michelle had her way, she _would_ be his girlfriend.

"Hey, Micks," Michelle said, smiling.

"Hi, 'Chelle," Mickie replied.

Honestly, Mickie wasn't crazy about Michelle. She was in Rosa's group, too, though she didn't spend too much time with them because...well, Mickie didn't know why. Those girls were just trouble, plain and simple.

"So you guys are going to the dance together, I hear?" Ted asked, grinning at Mickie.

She nodded. "That's right. It's going to be our...," she trailed off, waiting for Cody.

"Fake date!" they said in unison.

The four of them began to laugh.

"Well," Ted said, "Michelle and I are going together, too. I'm not sure if it's officially a date, so why don't we double fake date?"

Cody nodded. "Sounds good to me, what do you think, Mick?"

She shrugged. "Sure."

_Fake date_? Michelle asked herself, _well, I guess I gotta start somewhere_.

"Okay," she replied, "it'll be fun."

But Cody wasn't sure if a 'fake date' with Mickie was what he really wanted.

...

Mayrse watched, tears forming in her eyes. God, she hated Michelle! The French-Canadian bombshell just knew that she was behind this whole damn thing. If it hadn't been for her and her stupid nosy ass, she'd probably still be with Ted.

Now, Maryse had absolutely no proof that Maryse had done this...but she had a gut feeling.

"Hey, Ryse."

Maryse felt a tap on her shoulder and she spun around, coming face to face with Miz. She forced a smile and said, "Hi, Mike. Good morning."

He frowned. "What's the matter?"

She shrugged. "Oh, nothing," she replied, grabbing his hand. "Come on, let's go talk about the dance and how we're gonna coordinate everything."

Mike smiled evilly. He had Maryse right where he wanted her.

...

_What the hell is this? Since when does Cody Rhodes have a girlfriend?_

Maryse wasn't the only one watching Cody, Mickie, Ted, and Michelle. Layla El was, too. She'd had fun toying with him, but she hadn't expected him to actually get a girl to go out with him.

She was going to have to put a stop to that-and fast. But she couldn't put her finger on why she cared so much.

**Duh..duh..duh! **

**I've returned, my faithful readers! I'm sorry it took me so long to update, I've just been sick, and then my brother had a football game, and I've had projects and...LIFE! LOL, but I'm back and I don't plan on doing this again for a long, long time! **

**All right, I am so tired right now, so I'm gonna go to bed. Please, please, please review. Only nine more until I've got 200 reviews! I worked hard for all of you, so please review. I really do value your thoughts and opinions. **

**This chapter was just kind of a look into more of the characters' feelings. I'm pretty sure chapter 30, give or take will be homecoming. Man, I can't wait to write that! **

**THANK YOU ALL FOR THE REVIEWS! I GIVE YOU ALL LOTS OF HUGS! (Sorry for the CAPS. Also, I'm sorry that they're not from Cena. But if they were, I'd keep them all to MYSELF) *Stingy Cena Fangirl right here!**

**LOL, anyway, this song is named after "Why Ya Wanna" by Jana Kramer. I think it fits Jeff and Maria, Randy and Stacy, Edge and Lita, **_**and**_** Ted and Maryse's relationships. I love that song, but man does it get stuck in my head! **

**P.S.: For those of you who are wondering about Naked Baby, FEAR NOT! Just go to Youtube or Google or DailyMotion or something and search Randy Orton's Lopez Tonight Interview. It's fudging fabulous! **

**Peace, love, and Naked Baby!**

**-Kalina; JorriexLove**


	27. These Days

**I swear, I've got to do better with this story. I know, I know, I'm awful! And I know for some reason I put in the last chappie that Lita, Ashley, and Trish were on good terms...I don't know why. If you can, erase that from your mind. I'm sooo sorry! Sometimes, my brain just...**

**Anyway, I've yet again been inspired. This is thanks to XxBeautyofAngelXx, my Jorrie sissy, Kelly! I love, love, love her new story, The Light of Innocence. It's a remake of Trust Comes With a Price. Gosh, it's so great and it's only the first chapter! Take a look at it, if you haven't. And she's just one of the sweetest people ever. One of my first friends on Fan Fiction, she made me feel really welcome. And I'm so glad we've got our little Jorrie sisterhood! I just love you, Kelly! :)**

**Aasta! XangelofosloX. One of the sweetest girls **_**ever**_**. Gosh, without her, Kelly and I wouldn't be AKK, would we? Nope, definitely not. She's always great for a boost in my confidence, lol. I hope that didn't sound conceited. I love you so much, Aasta! :)**

**Let's see...also thanks to Legsxrko, my Jorrie/**_**Rancy**_** sister, Tara. She's got a new story, too. It's Jorrie/Rancy and it's called **_**Love in its Strongest Form**_**. It's really great so far, too! **

**And...my dear, dear friend, Koda, FreakerThanFreaks. I think I already said this, but she's got a story like this one coming out soon. Also, she's a beautiful, hilarious person. If you love John Cena, you'll love her. **

**And my Cody/Layla friend, Matt, Dashings Destiny. I'm loving ALL of his stories. Most of them at least mention Jorrie, but a bunch of them have them as the main characters. Anddd, he's got a sitcom-related story coming out soon, too. I can't wait for that! :)**

**Also, thanks to Therealchamps (Megan), Cena's baby doll, and Thatpersonthatreads! I can always count on them for reviews. Actually, Megan gave me my first review ever...and my two-hundredth on **_**WWE High**_**. **

**Anyway, a million thanks to everyone who's reviewed! **

Ashley pulled her clipboard closer to her face and scanned the room. There was Mickie and Kelly, Gail and Evan, Edge and Punk. This was the homecoming dance committee. There was only seven of them and Ashley was in charge. Actually, the only reason why Mickie, Kelly, and Gail had signed up was because Ashley was their friend. Punk signed up for Kelly, Evan for Gail, and Edge for Ashley.

"So...this is it?" she asked, sighing.

Everyone looked around, shrugging.

"Guess so," Punk replied with a smile.

Ashley exhaled again, looking at her staff. She took a deep breath before saying, "Mickie, food. Kelly, decorations. Gail, chaperones. Adam, music. Evan, assist Edge with the music. And Punk, help Kells with the decorations."

"What are you gonna do?" Evan asked, furrowing his brows at her.

Ashley grinned at him. "Supervise, of course."

As everyone got to work, she walked around, watching them. Mickie was planning pizza, chips, cupcakes, punch, and soda. Gail had gone over to the school's office to see if there were any teacher volunteers. Kelly and Punk were writing down lanterns and crepe paper-all blue and white, the school's colors. And Edge and Punk were scanning their iPods to make a playlist.

_What a great leader you are_, Ashley thought to herself, smiling.

...

"Okay, is everyone here?" Ms. Runnels, who was in charge of the homecoming court asked.

They nodded.

She ignored them, pulling out her roster. "Christy Hemme?"

"I'm here," she announced, "and so's Ken."

Christy's escort was Ken Anderson.

"Krissy Vaine and Alex Riley?"

"We're both here," Krissy answered.

Ms. Runnels smiled. "Okay...Beth Phoenix and David Hart-Smith?"

"Here," Beth said, looking at David.

"All right," Ms. Runnels replied, "and Alicia Fox and Kofi Kingston?"

Alicia looked up and nodded.

Victoria Varon, Kenny Dykstra, Melina Perez, and John Morrison were all also present.

"Okay," Ms. Runnels said, "now for our seniors. Rosa Mendes and Alberto Del Rio?"

"Si," Rosa replied, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"Eve Torres and Heath Slater?"

Eve sighed. Heath Slater was the _last _person that Eve wanted to escort her. John was with _Torrie_ and none of his friends would go near her. Even Jack and Dolph were reluctant, if not just for the fact that the Bellas were her friends.

"And Lilian Garcia...," Ms. Runnels trailed off, "honey, you don't have an escort written down."

"I know," Lilian said, "but don't worry, I've got one." She gestured to the raven-haired boy sitting beside her and smiled brightly at him.

Ms. Runnels looked at him. "And your name is...?"

The boy flashed a smile at Lilian. "Wade," the boy replied, "Wade Barrett."

...

"God, Hunter!" Shawn exclaimed that night at Pizza Hut, "You know, you don't have to eat a _mountain_ of pizza at once!"

"Shuup," Hunter replied, taking a huge bite and chewing rapidly.

The other three guys at the table: John, Randy, and Dave all laughed.

When Hunter finally swallowed, he said, "Guys, I stopped doing Miss Chyna."

Dave snorted. "Finally! Dude, she _is _a teacher!"

Hunter rolled his eyes. "Now, you know that you'd do a teacher if you got a chance. I've seen the way you look at Mr. Caloway."

Randy and John both laughed as Dave turned beet red, Shawn shook his head, and Hunter smirked, very proud of himself.

"All of that aside," John said, swallowing a bite of pepperoni and sausage, "what about Steph? You two seem sort of chummy."

Hunter sighed. "She's the superintendent's daughter. Bro, if I did her, I'd die."

Randy rolled his eyes. "Hunter, he doesn't mean just sex. He means an actual thing."

Hunter shrugged. "I think I'd still die."

Everyone laughed.

"Speaking of 'things,'" Hunter said, "Shawnie, you still haven't told us who you like yet!"

Shawn blushed. "And you're not gonna know!"

Dave grinned. "We know she's blond..."

John and Randy shared a glance.

"Dude, if it's Torrie, I swear-" John said.

Shawn sighed. "It's not Torrie!"

Randy's heart sank. "Is...is it Stacy?"

Shawn shook his head. "No, it's not Stacy. Look, I'm not gonna tell you guys, so you might as well just stop!"

Relief shot through Randy. For some reason, he was very glad that Stacy wasn't the object of Shawn's affection.

"Kelly? Maryse? Ashley? Trish? Lilian? Beth? Natalya? Michelle?" Dave asked.

Shawn shrugged. "I'm not saying!"

They all laughed.

"I'm just glad it's not Torrie," John said, "if it was...I might've had to kill you."

"Please," Shawn said, "it's not that Torrie's not pretty, it's just...she's like a little sister to me."

"I know," John replied, grinning, "and I'm glad. I just now got her back!"

"And we're all very happy for you two," Hunter said, "but we've got other problems. Shawn, tell us who this blond is!"

Shawn shook his head, grinning. "Nope. You'll never know."

...

Maria sighed, looking around. She was at Copeland's-alone. Torrie was with Stacy, helping her buy shoes for the dance. Not that Torrie hadn't invited her, because she had. Maria just hadn't wanted to feel like a third wheel. She was fairly used to that, though, considering that she'd once been best friends with Mickie while she'd been dating Jeff.

She twirled her straw around in her coke. The restaurant was buzzing with people, none of which she knew. She bent down, taking a long drink of it.

"Hey there, Maria!"

Maria looked up and saw none other than the Bella twins. "Hello," she said, monotone.

The twins were meeting their boyfriends, Jack and Dolph for dinner, but since they hadn't arrived yet, they decided that it would be fun to mess with Maria.

"What's the matter?" Brie asked, "Jeff found some other virgin to fuck?"

Maria's face turned beet red. "Wh-what? What are you talking about?"

"What is she talking about?" Nikki asked, "Didn't you hear? You slept with Jeff. Lost your virginity and everything. Hey, how bad did it hurt when Jeff-"

"Shut up!" Maria snapped, "Leave me alone!"

Brie chuckled. "Why should we?"

Maria swallowed as tears began to prick to her eyes. Humiliation played on her face. "Go. Away. Why do you feel like you can torture me?"

Nikki opened her mouth to say something, but then, four guys came into the restaurant. Chris, Ted, Matt...and Jeff.

Brie and Nikki exchanged sneers. "And there he is!"

Maria choked back a sob and through a five dollar bill on the table. But before she left, she picked up her almost-full glass of soda and tossed it at the twins, soaking both of them. "Fuck! Off!" she yelled, pushing past them _and _Jeff.

The Bellas let out piercing shrieks. Matt, Chris, and Ted covered their ears. But not Jeff. He turned on his heel, running after Maria.

"Maria!" he called out her name.

Maria did not stop running and she completely ignored Jeff.

"Maria Louise Kanellis!" Jeff yelled.

Maria stopped dead in her tracks. She'd never told Jeff her middle name...so how did he know what it was?"

She slowly turned around.

Jeff could see that her eyes were red-rimmed and puffy. Obviously, she'd been crying. Her eye makeup was smudging around the waterlines of her eyes.

"What, Jeff?" Maria asked, "What?"

Jeff sighed. "Listen-"

Maria didn't give him a chance. "Jeff, I'm a walking punchline! Everyone's calling me a slut and a whore. And the people that don't feel sorry for me think I'm a coldhearted bitch! You know, this wouldn't be so bad if I wasn't the only getting beat up on! Absolutely nothing's happened to you! Apparently, this is _all_ my fault! But fuck, Jeff, you kissed me! I didn't kiss you! And-"

"Maria," Jeff said, "maybe everyone's calling you names, but the fact that we're not together is _all_ on you. Sure, maybe you're getting called shit, but at least you're not feeling like a complete jerk every five seconds! I _know_ I kissed you first. I _know_ I screwed you and Mickie _both_ up. But do you know what bothers me the most?"

Maria sniffed. "What?"

He bit his lip and looked away. "I can't tell you how beautiful you look at school. I can't tell you that I painted another picture based on you. I can't tell you that you're all I'm ever gonna want...," Jeff took a deep breath, feeling a flood of emotion come over him, "And I can't tell you how much I love you!" he yelled, frustrated.

Maria looked down at her feet. She definitely couldn't look at Jeff, because she knew that if she did, her heart would surely break even more than it already had. She sighed, going to turn away from him once more.

But Jeff wasn't having that. As she was turning around, Jeff grabbed Maria's wrist. She fiddled around, trying to get loose, but she didn't verbally protest. That's when Jeff looked her dead in the eyes, cupped her cheeks in his hands, and kissed her.

But not lightly. When Maria responded, Jeff wasted no time colliding his tongue with Maria's. He didn't know when he was going to get to kiss her again, so he knew he had to make it last. He shoved her against the wall, kissing her harder. He worked his hands into Maria's soft, reddish-brown locks and she did the same with his rainbow-colored hair.

And at that moment, it didn't matter that they were in a public area where everyone could see them. All that mattered was Jeff Hardy and Maria Kanellis and that they were together.

**D'aww! I loved the Jeria part. I really missed them! The Hunter/Dave/Randy/John/Shawn part was for Koda. She requested some bromantic moments. Ugh, the Bellas pissed me off in this chapter! They're so mean to Maria!**

**LOL, anyway, I can't wait for Night of Champions! Cena **_**will**_** be champion again, you just wait, Punk!**

**And guys, I am taking MV requests as of now! If you're wondering what and MV is, it's a short video with a pairing or just one superstar. They're so fun to make. Just tell me what pairing you'd like and what song. I'd be happy to make you one! Here's my youtube channel link: **** user/KalinaDestiny?feature=mhee**

**I'd be glad to make one for ya! **

**This chapter's named for "These Days" by Rascal Flatts. I think it really fits Jeff and Maria. **

**Well, I hope you all enjoyed! :**


	28. Lessons Learned

**Okay! Since I've built up this homecoming thing so much, I've decided to start it now, because it's going to be long. Maybe somewhere between five and seven chapters! I'm really pumped as I'm writing this because I've been waiting forever to write this. And for those of you who don't know, homecoming is a high school, college, or university game, dance, or other event to which alumni are invited. In this case, it's a game and there **_**is **_**a dance **_**and **_**a parade **_**and**_** a pep rally, but the dance is for students only. Just wanted to clear that up! **

**Thank you's to Kelly, Tara, Koda, Aasta, Matt, Megan, Thatpersonthatreads, Cena's baby doll, LitasaultStratusfaction, Hi14, and everyone else that's reviewed! I can't thank y'all enough. **

**And by the way, a Thunderbird is a giant bird that shoots thunder from its wings. Sure, I could have chosen a better mascot, but I wanted to use my school's and our colors (royal blue and white and sometimes silver or grey). Hey, it's my story! :P**

**The math stuff, ignore it. If it makes zero sense, I'm sorry. I am seriously the worst person at math in the freaking world. Seriously. The only way I haven't failed yet is because they don't check the actual work on the homework and vocab. LOL, I am so bad at it! So, I apologize for my screwy examples.**

"Who's that talkin' bout them T-birds?!" John yelled.

"Who's that?! Who's that?!" his team replied.

The quarterback of the WWEHS Thunderbirds grinned widely and yelled again, "Who's that talkin' bout them T-birds?!"

Randy led them in the reply, "Who's that?! Who's that?!"

It was Friday morning, the morning of their homecoming game. Currently, they were in their first period, football. Of course, it was entirely John's job to pump everyone up.

And boy were they ever! Cody and Ted had painted their faces entirely blue and white, Punk had spray-painted his hair royal blue, Chris and Trish had dressed in head-to-toe blue and white matching outfits, and the school was a sea of blue.

Yes, Jeff and his crew had done an amazing job in decorating the school for the game and pep rally. It had taken all week and hours of work, but it looked awesome. Blue and white streamers hung all throughout the hallways, Lita had made posters upon posters that hung all around the gym and cafeteria, Stephanie had painted all of the windows with some of the team's chants, and Stacy and Randy had spent two entire afternoons blowing up blue, white, and silver balloons. Now, there were what seemed like thousands of them all over the school.

"And who's gonna beat TNA tonight?!" John yelled, circling the group.

"WWE!" they all yelled.

"Who's gonna make 'em look like the pussies they are?!" he screamed.

"WWE!" they shrieked.

John threw his WWEHS cap on the ground and shouted, "You're damn right! Bring it in!"

The team formed a huddle, all putting their hands in the middle.

John looked over at Randy and grinned. Together, they said, "Family on three!"

The team nodded, excited.

"One, two, three...," John and Randy said.

"Family!" everyone else shouted.

Now, they had a day full of activities to get to.

...

Lilian sat in Mr. Caloway's Math class, tapping her pencil on her notebook. Her teacher was going on and on about variables and how they were linked to vertical phrases and Participle phrases and she _was_ trying to pay attention.

The only problem was that this was her last period before lunch. And after lunch was the parade. And after the parade was the pep rally. After the pep rally, was the end of school when she'd get ready for the game, where she'd find out who was homecoming queen. She was so nervous! "Lilian."

Lilian looked up to see Mr. Caloway standing over her. "Huh?" she asked.

"Number six?" he asked, still staring at her.

She stared blankly at him.

He exhaled. "Read it and tell the class your answer. And justify it. Next time, pay attention."

Mr. Caloway hadn't yelled at her, but his voice still sent shivers down her spine. He was a pretty creepy guy.

"Um...," she trailed off, "where a is parallel to b, what is the measure of angle six?"

He nodded. "And your answer."

She looked down at her paper, realizing she hadn't answered it the night before. "Uh...," she trailed off again, "well, it's...D...?" she asked.

He nodded. "Very good. Why?"

She sighed. "Because that's what I circled."

A few giggles ripped through the class, but they stopped when Mr. Caloway glared at her.

"Lilian-"

Suddenly, the bell rang and Lilian ran-_ran _straight out of the classroom before anyone else was out of their seats, before Mr. Caloway could yell at her.

...

"Maria, are you okay?"

Maria looked up to see Stephanie standing over her, tray in hand.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Stephanie sat down beside her. "Then why'd you have your head on the table?"

Maria shrugged. "I've got a headache."

Stephanie gave Maria a hard look. "Right. This wouldn't have anything to do with the fact that you kissed one, Jeff Hardy Monday?"

Maria's jaw dropped. "How'd you know about that?"

Stephanie shrugged. "I've got my sources. Have you talked to him since?"

The redhead shook her head no. "No, I haven't. I guess I've been avoiding him."

Stephanie smiled. "I like his hair today, it's our colors."

It was true. Today, Jeff's hair was blond with blue and silver mixed in.

Maria couldn't help but grin. "Yeah...," she trailed off.

"There's a smile!" Stephanie said, poking Maria.

Maria kept her grin and rolled her eyes. "I question you, Steph."

"So do I," Stacy said, coming over and putting her tray down.

Stephanie sent Stacy a sarcastic glare. "Now, now, let's be nice!"

"Yes!" Trish said, coming over with Lita, "Stace, we've gotta be nice to Stephanie. If we're not, she'll sic her daddy on us."

Stephanie nodded. "And don't you forget that!"

"Don't worry," Lita replied, "we won't."

"Won't what?" Torrie asked, setting down her tray beside Stacy's.

"Won't forget that Steph's gonna sic her dad on us if we're bad," Trish replied, chuckling.

"Oh," Torrie said, shifting her gaze to Maria, "did we all harass Maria about the thing at Copeland's yet?"

Maria gave Torrie a blank stare.

"I tried," Stephanie replied, twisting her bottle of water open, "but she's a stubborn little thing."

Stacy looked at Maria. "Maria, stop ignoring Jeff."

"Seriously," Lita said, "Ria, what are you doing that for?"

Maria stared at her sandwich. "I...it wouldn't be right. Mickie's-"

"Not with Jeff anymore!" Trish exclaimed, "she's all about Cody Rhodes now. Jeff's in love with you-"

"And you're in love with him," Stacy added.

"So tonight, you're gonna take your ass over to him and tell him how you feel," Stephanie finished.

Maria sighed. "I'm not promising anything."

Stephanie, Stacy, Lita, and Trish all shared a glance.

Torrie smiled, swallowing a spoonful of chocolate pudding. "I've taught you all very well."

At that, Lita threw an orange peeling at Torrie, evoking a small food war among their table.

**I know this is short, but it was supposed to be. It's a filler for the homecoming chapter, which will be happening NEXT! First, we've got the parade, then the pep rally, then the game, then the dance, and among all of this, we're gonna have some major explosions. Fights, break-ups, make-ups, shockers, confessions, and something that's gonna break all of y'all's little hearts. **

**I hope you all liked this chapter! It's named after "Lessons Learned" by Carrie Underwood. **

**-Kalin**


	29. A Thousand Years

**I'm sorry that I didn't update as much as I promised, guys. Very sorry. See, I babysat my aunt's friend's kids Friday night until after nine (and yes, we did watch Smackdown until the satellite thanks to rain). And then, my mom woke me up Saturday morning saying my Grandma was going to the ER. Thankfully, she's fine. She was having chest pains, but it turns out that all it was was a chest wall problem. Basically, she pulled a muscle in her chest. And I made the mistake of starting **_**Perfect **_**Match**__**by Jodi Picoult Saturday night (which I highly recommend). So, this was what I could come up with. I hope I don't disappoint you! **

_All students must be dismissed at this time for the parade! _

"Come on!" Kelly yelled at Mickie, who was standing still, looking confused.

"Hold on!" Mickie snapped back.

Kelly grinned. "Why? Did you drop something?"

"No," Mickie said, "I'm just...I wanna wait a second."

Kelly gave her a hard look. "I thought you and Cody were going to the dance on a fake date?"

Mickie's face turned blank. "Huh?"

Kelly put a hand on her hip. "Obviously, you're waiting on him!"

"And just how do you know that?" Mickie asked, shaking her head.

Kelly shrugged. "I just know things."

Suddenly, a figure approached them, smiling at Mickie.

Kelly winked. "I'll leave you to it."

Cody stared blankly at Mickie's blond friend. "What is she-"

Mickie chuckled. "Don't worry about it."

...

Shawn stood outside, leaning on a pole, waiting for the parade to start alone. He was frowning sadly, looking very desolate. He was feeling a bit heartbroken and very single.

"Shawnie, are you all right?"

Shawn looked up, finding himself staring at Ashley Massaro.

"Y-yeah," he stuttered.

"Really?" she asked, "'cause you look upset to me."

He shook his head. "I'm fine, Ash."

She frowned. "Are you sure?"

He nodded, "Yeah, I'm sure."

Ashley sighed. "For some reason I'm not believing you. Are you positive that there's absolutely nothing bothering you."

Shawn hesitated. "Um..."

"Ash, you ready?"

Shawn and Ashley both looked to see the blond guy coming toward them.

"Well-" Ashley went to say.

"Yeah, she's ready," Shawn said, "we were just talking about the parade."

Edge grinned. "Okay." He gestured for Ashley to come to him.

She smiled back and patted Shawn's shoulder. "I'll see you later, Shawnie."

He blushed and looked down as the couple walked off. He was really embarrassed. He really wished that he could just tell the girl that he liked that he liked her and get it over with it. He was just so damn shy! He didn't have even half the confidence that Hunter, John, Randy, and Dave had.

He sighed as some of his friends piled over to him.

"Shawnie!" Hunter said, putting his huge arms around his friend.

Shawn put on a smile. "Hey, Hunter."

...

John, Torrie, Stacy, and Randy met up with Maria, Stephanie, Shawn, Hunter, Trish, Lita, Matt, Jeff, and Chris at the front of the school for the parade. Of course, Maria hung back with Torrie and Stephanie and Stacy as the guys chattered aimlessly about the football game. The girls were, too. That, and the dance after the game. Hopefully, they'd win the game, because if they didn't, the dance would be very gloomy.

Jeff couldn't help himself. Yes, he stared at Maria, watched her bite her lip, bite her nails, twirl her hair, shift her weight. At one point, she looked over at him, too, and they shared a glance. He tried to give her a smile, but she turned away quickly. Jeff knew Maria didn't hate him, but it sure seemed that way and it was driving him crazy.

Mickie was obviously over him. He could tell by the way she acted around Cody that she really liked him. If Mickie and Maria weren't talking and he and Mickie were done, why did Maria keep fighting him? If what she said was true about loving him for so long, why didn't she want to be with him now? Where had her feelings gone...or was she just hiding them away?

None of that mattered because Jeff had a plan for that night.

...

"Stacy, I can't believe he'd use you like that," Torrie placed her hand on her hip and glared at one of her best friends.

Stacy breathed out, rolling her eyes up to the sky. "You don't understand it," she retorted.

"There's not much I don't understand when it comes to relationships. And it's the same for you, Stace. That's why we both took up for Maria, remember? But this...this isn't right."

"And who are you to judge me?" Stacy asked, "You left the state a year ago to get away from John."

Torrie glanced at Stacy. "You know I had no control over what happened."

"I also know that you didn't even give John a chance to be a dad." Instantly, Stacy regretted what she said, "Tor, I'm sorry, that didn't come out right."

Torrie nodded. "I know. But I never got to be a mom, either."

...

Dave and Punk stood, watching the parade go by.

"You know," Dave said, "I've been meaning to ask you why we weren't in the parade this year."

Punk shrugged. "Something about Coach Lesnar sayin' parades were for pussies."

"Oh," Dave replied.

At that moment, the cheerleaders' float began coming by. Layla, AJ, the Bellas, and Michelle were all on it. Rosa and Eve would have been, but they were on the homecoming court's float. The cheerleaders were waving their pompoms and blowing kisses. Brie looked over at them and blew a kiss.

Punk laughed and waved at her. "She was blowing you a kiss, Dave, blow one back."

Dave blushed and raised his hand in a small wave. He was relieved when he heard a familiar breathy voice.

"Hey, Dave, hey Punk," Candice Michelle said, smiling.

"Hey Candy," Dave whispered.

"Candice, how come you ain't a cheerleader?" Punk asked.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "Please. I don't want to be seem with those girls. Besides, I'm too lazy. Don't they distract you guys?"

"Not really," Punk replied.

"Dave?" she asked.

He shook his head. "I don't pay attention to them."

The truth was, Candice was really the _only_ girl he paid any attention to.

"We focus on the game," Punk added, "how do you think our season's been undefeated thus far?"

Candice giggled. "Gee, I don't know."

She looked up and saw that the homecoming court's float was passing by. All the maids were on there, and the three nominees for homecoming queen. One just so happened to be her best friend, Lilian Garcia.

"Lil!" Candice yelled, waving.

Lilian smiled, hearing her best friend's voice. She waved back and mouthed, "Hi, Candy!"

Rosa and Eve had smug looks on their faces between Lilian. She was sandwiched in the middle between them. Rosa wore a short, royal blue dress, almost identical to Eve's, and Lilian wore a white one. This was what Ms. Runnels had instructed them to do.

Lilian looked beautiful again, as she always did, but the pure white against her tanned skin just sparkled.

_He _was watching her again. _He_ couldn't wait to see what she looked like tonight at the opening ceremony. She was going to look beautiful, he was sure of it. And tonight, she was finally going to be _his_.

...

Trish gazed up at Chris. He was staring ahead, talking to Jeff about whether chef or house salad was best and Trish couldn't help but smile about it. She didn't know how much she'd missed Chris until now.

Finally, he looked down at her. "Stare much?" he asked. But he grinned.

She shrugged. "It's weird seeing you with your hair this short."

Through the years they'd dated, Chris had had long blond hair to his shoulders. Now, it was very short.

He ran his fingers through it. "Yeah, well...I got tired of brushing it. And it was a pain in the ass in the summertime."

She giggled. "I'm sure it was. Actually, I think I like it better this way."

He shrugged. "Me, too...," he trailed off.

Trish frowned. "What is it?"

Chris sighed. "You have no idea how much I missed you," he said softly.

Trish knew he didn't mean to, but that thrashed her with guilt. She knew that she'd hurt him, but perhaps not as much as she actually had. We all mistakes. We all hurt people we love. But does that make it any easier to deal with?

Trish's breath caught in her throat, at loss for words. She didn't know what to say to make it better. She'd been a bitch to him, plain and simple. She'd stomped on his heart and then fed it to sharks. She dumped him, and then to add insult to injury, she got another boyfriend only two days later. What the fuck had Chris done to deserve that? Absolutely nothing, that's what.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, tears filling her eyes.

He nodded, pulling her into a hug. He breathed her in, remembering all of her scents: the strawberry shampoo, the coconut lotion, the jasmine perfume. It was Trish, simply put. "It's okay," he whispered back.

Trish sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "It's not," she replied, "we're never gonna be together again...and it's because of me. You can't trust me."

Chris pursed his lips quickly. "Whoever said that?"

Trish's eyes locked with Chris's and he bent down, bringing his lips to her.

They were at school. There was a parade going on. There was people surrounding them. And yet, there was also no one at all.

...

Maryse placed her hand on her hip. _Where is he_?

"Sorry I'm late," Mike said, breathlessly, "Mr. Lawler was yelling at me for running."

She chuckled. "It's fine, I guess."

"You guess?" he asked, leaning closer and hugging her.

Ashley, Mickie, Gail, and Kelly watched, disgusted. None of them even halfway liked Miz, let alone liked him with Maryse. Though they couldn't prove it, they _knew_ that Ted hadn't been cheating on her. There was just no way, he'd been too crazy about the blond French-Canadian to even _think _about screwing things up with her.

Cody, Edge, and Evan were too busy talking about TNA's quarterback, AJ Styles to pay attention to the looks that the girls around them were glaring at Miz. Personally, they didn't like him either.

But no one hated him as much as Ted Dibiase. **I wouldn't exactly call that a cliffhanger, but it wasn't a fulfilling chapter. Okay, the next chapter is the pep rally, so hooray! I can't wait to write that.**

**However, this week is the week that my aunt gets married. Well, she gets married Sunday, so I guess technically, it's **_**next **_**month. But whatever. I think I'm going up to help Friday or Saturday, so we'll see how updates go.**

**Thanks y'all, for all the reviews! I'm so happy you're all enjoying the story. :P**

**This chapter's named for Christina Perri's "A Thousand Years." Beautiful, beautiful song. **

**Oh, and by the way, the next chapter will be my thirtieth for this story! Yay!**

**WWWYKI! **

**-Kalin**


	30. I Can't Love You Back

**Please don't kill me. Please, please, please. I know I haven't updated in a long time and I apologize. I know it's no excuse, it's just that I've been so damn busy lately! But anyway, since my homecoming is in two weeks, I figured I should finish WWE High's. I hope y'all enjoy it! :)**

"Hey, Torrie, if I were you, I'd keep an eye on John. Maria's got a history of fucking her best friend's boyfriends," Brie Bella smirked at Torrie.

Torrie rolled her eyes at the brunette twin. "How about you go away, Nikki."

Brie's face flattened. "I'm not Nikki."

"Really?" Torrie asked, smiling, sharing a glance with Maria.

"No, I'm Brie...," Brie trailed off.

Maria shrugged. "Let's leave Brianna alone," she said, nudging Brie, "or is it Nicole?"

Brie opened her mouth to reply, but Torrie grabbed Maria's arm and the two of them walked off, headed to the pep rally. "I've gotta go to the bathroom," Torrie said.

"I'll come with you-" Maria went to say.

"No, it's okay," Torrie replied, "you can go ahead. Go find Stacy and get our seats."

Maria nodded, smiling at her blond friend, "Okay, Torrie."

The redhead watched as Torrie disappeared into the bathroom. She then began her trek to the gym, where the pre-game pep rally was taking place. Reaching into her purse, Maria began to search for her bottle of Smart Water. After lunch, she'd gotten thirsty.

Suddenly, someone smacked right into Maria, knocking her open bag to the floor, along with its contents. "Fuck," they said, "I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Maria said, bending down to get her things. The other girl bent down, too.

"I'm sor-" the girl stopped and Maria did, too. Because at that moment, Maria realized that she was face to face with Mickie James, her ex-best friend. Maria felt as if she'd been punched in the stomach. Quickly, she threw everything into her bag and scampered off.

Mickie looked down at the object she was now holding in her hand. It was a simple, purple binder with the word "thoughts" printed on it in black sharpie. Mickie looked around before slipping the binder into her own bag. And then, she too, headed to the gym.

...

Flo Rida's "Whistle" was slamming through the speakers of the gym, which was decorated all over with royal blue and white streamers and balloons. Thunderbird signs were slapped all over the walls.

"Fabulous," Candice whispered to Gail and Kelly, sitting down in one of the blue chairs.

"What?" Kelly asked, sitting down, too.

"Do they have to make it this fucking loud?" she asked, rubbing her temples.

Gail shrugged. "It doesn't really bother me."

Honestly, it shouldn't have bothered Candice that much. After all, many nights a week, Candice was in her club, shaking around for all kinds of men.

Maybe that was why it irked her.

"_Blow my whistle baby, whistle baby_," Mickie sang, sitting down beside Gail.

"Shut up, Micks," Candice complained, still rubbing her temples.

Mickie grinned. "Who peed in your cheerios?"

"You did," Candice retorted, a slight grin on her face.

Maryse came over then, flipping her long, platinum blond hair over her shoulder. "Who peed in who's cheerios?"

Kelly giggled. "Ryse, you don't even wanna know."

Maryse shrugged and sat down. Just in time, too, because as soon as she did, Coach Flair walked onto the court, greeted with boos by the football team. He rolled his eyes at his boys, but a twinge of a smile played on the curves of his mouth. "Tonight, we face the TNA Hornets-"

"The Horny Hornets!" someone in the crowd yelled.

Principal Laurinaitis shook his finger and his head in the direction the voice came from.

"Anyway, this may be our most important game of the year, so we need all of y'all to come out and support us. To show those Hornets what it truly means to be a Thunderbird!" Coach Flair yelled triumphantly.

The crowd of students, teachers, and faculty all applauded and cheered in response.

"Thank you!" he said, passing his microphone to John Cena, the quarterback.

John looked around before speaking. He caught Torrie's eye and winked at her. In response, she blew him a kiss and blushed. Unbeknownst to both of them, Randy and Stacy were doing the exact same thing.

"Coach Flair pretty much covered it," he announced, "but there _is_ one thing he forgot to mention. We're gonna win tonight. I _guarantee _it! And we need all of y'all to come support us! We know that everyone at WWEHS, the teachers, the students, the fans, we're all a family, right?!"

The audience screamed in return.

"All right, then!" John yelled, beginning to announce the members of his team. He did this by their jersey numbers. When every member of the squad (plus the water girls, two junior girls) was out on the court, they formed a giant huddle, chanting 'WWE, WWE, WWE! T-Birds, T-Birds, T-Birds!' over and over. Each person put their hand in the middle of the huddle.

"Family on three!" John announced, "One, two, three!"

"Family!" the huddle (and the crowd repeated).

John handed his microphone to the cheerleading coach, Stacy Carter. Ms. Carter was dubbed 'The Kat,' by many of the students because she had a tendency to sleep with any high school boy she could get her hands on. This _could_ be the reason why she and the art teacher, Mr. Jerry Lawler had divorced years before. "Hey, everybody!" she announced, tugging on the jacket of her black WWEHS sweatsuit, "how is everybody today?"

"Great!" everyone answered.

"Fantastic!" she replied, "I want to introduce the 2012-2013 cheerleading squad!" Ms. Carter began with AJ, but no one was really paying attention...except maybe some of the guys. It sucked that all of the cheerleaders were so snotty. It didn't used to be that way, in fact, Stacy, Torrie, Candice, Lilian, Maryse, and Trish had all been cheerleaders at one point. But back then, Maryse hadn't exactly been friends with them. It wasn't that they didn't get along, it was just that they weren't friends.

Friend_ly_, but not quite friends.

What had stopped them, you ask? Two words...Eve Torres.

...

Mickie was digging in her purse for that binder. All throughout the pep rally so far, she hadn't been able to put her finger on what the hell 'thoughts meant. Secretly, she pulled it out and flipped to the first page. Why did it matter that she wasn't paying attention to the pep rally? The cheerleaders were just dancing.

_March 3, 2010_

_Well, it's finally official. Jeff and Mickie are dating, isn't that great? I should be happy for them, but I'm not. Actually, it's quite the opposite. In fact, as I'm writing this, my ink is smudging because tears are falling on the pages. How incredibly lame, how incredibly cliché of me! I love my best friend's boyfriend, isn't that just fantastic? _

_It's not fair. It's really and truly unfair. I've known him far longer than her, I've loved him far longer than her. I've wanted him far longer than her. But all it took for her was to just talk to him. Maybe if I wasn't so shy...so introverted, I could be in her shoes. I love that rainbow-headed boy. I always have, I always will. _

Gulping, Mickie shut the binder...but quickly opened it again.

...

Finally, the cheerleaders finished their little dance to Trey Songz and Nicki Minaj's "Bottoms Up."

"It's now the time to introduce your 2012-2013 homecoming court!" Mrs. Lesnar announced, speaking into the microphone.

The crowd cheered. Mrs. Lesnar announced the freshman, sophomore, and junior maids and finally go to the senior class's three maids.

"Your first senior maid is Miss Rosa Mendes."

Rosa flashed a smile, smoothing her short, blue dress. She was also clad in knee length brown boots. Her jet black hair was straightened down her back. If she wasn't such a bitch, she might have looked beautiful. Her escort, Alberto Del Rio wore a dark brown button down shirt and tan khakis and sperrys. He was smiling, too. It was mostly because he was getting noticed, though.

Mrs. Lesnar read off Rosa's information and then switched to Eve. "Your second senior maid is Miss Eve Marie Torres."

Eve was clad in a hot pink mini-skirt, a white tank top, and white heels. Her escort, Heath Slater, wore a striped green shirt and tan pants, with black dress shoes. Though she didn't stop smiling, a feeling of dread passed over her when she saw Torrie's head on John's shoulder. The fact that Heath Slater was on her arm instead of John Cena royally pissed her off.

The last maid, Lilian Garcia was the final maid to emerge from outside the gym. Lilian was dressed in a short black dress and black slingback heels. Her hair was curled slightly and it looked fantastic. Her escort, Wade Barrett, looked great, too, in a white polo, black dress pants, and black dress shoes.

Mrs. Lesnar cleared her throat. "Your 2012-2013 homecoming queen...," she trailed off and held their breath.

"Will be announced tonight at the game!" she announced, giggling slightly.

Everyone groaned and rolled their eyes.

She laughed again and said, "You're all dismissed! Don't forget, the game starts at seven-thirty, but the court will be addressed at _six_-thirty. Don't be late!"

"Whistle" came back on and the students began to file out of the building, some headed home, some to the field house, some to the library. Regardless, the homecoming game was in only a few hours and they _all_ had to prepare.

**Are we satisfied? No? Didn't think so. LOL, I know it's short, but I promise, everything's gonna start blowing up soon! Because, the next chapter is the game and then the dance. And the dance...oh, the dance! Y'all just have no idea what that's gonna be like. It's more dramatic than Candice's party and Ruthless Aggression's show **_**combined**_**. Which explains why I am taking a short hiatus from The Way Home. I'm not quitting it, I just want to get deeper into this before I really get into that one. **

**I really hope you enjoyed this, it's named after Easton Corbin's "I Can't Love You Back." It breaks my heart. **

**Love you all, thanks so much! **

**-Kalin**


	31. Shattered

**Finally, it's here! The moment we've all been waiting for, the HOMECOMING GAME! So, a few shout-outs... **

**Koda...Tara...Kelly...Matt...Aasta...Meaghan...Freya...Thatpersonthatreads...Cena's baby doll...LitasaultStratusfaction...and anyone else who just happened to review. Thank y'all sooooo much! :)**

**Oh, and just so you guys' know, the homecoming maids' student escorts were only for the pep rally. Their fathers are escorting them now. :P**

**Let's get on with it: **

Trish, Lita, Stephanie, Stacy, Torrie, and Maria all made their way to the bleachers.

The time was here. The time to whip some serious TNA ass.

The band was playing loudly, the drums thumping.

"Have you guys seen a purple binder?" Maria asked, searching through her purse. Stacy's eyes shot open. Unlike the other three, Stacy _did_ know that this 'purple binder' was codename for Maria's diary. "No, why. Dd you lose it?"

Maria gave Stacy a tearful nod.

The only thing that Maria could figure was that she'd dropped it when she'd ran into Mickie earlier. Hopefully, someone had turned it into the office. She could only _pray _that Mickie didn't have it. She'd poured her heart into it almost every day for the last four years. And Mickie certainly had a vendetta against her, so she could only use it to her advantage...

Right...?

...

_October 5, 2012_

_This morning, I woke up and I realized that it the homecoming game was tonight. Honestly, it wasn't that much of a comfort. I also spent the entire morning listening to "Shattered" by Trading Yesterday. It's scary how accurate a song can be. _

_It's also a little bit pathetic. _

_I can't make anyone understand how I _truly_ feel. I love Jeff, I do. I loved Mickie, too, though. She _was_ my best friend, after all. But the more that I think about it, the more I realize that she wasn't the friend that _I _deserved. Then again, I wasn't the friend that _she_ deserved, either. She didn't have to undermine me, I didn't have to love her boyfriend and keep it from her. _

_It seems like she's bounced back, though. I think she and Cody Rhodes really hit it off. It kind of adds to the sting of the pain. Sure, she got hurt, but she's moved past it. Jeff and I haven't. _

_Jeff and I. _

_That sounds strange to write. The only thing that Jeff and I have in common is that we slept together one night and that we both played a role in the downfall of Mickie James._

_I'm so pathetic that it's not even funny. I don't even know who I am anymore. Actually, I've never _truly_ known who I am. Since age seven, I've been the leader of the Jeff Hardy fan club. And since I've admitted that, the cliché thing to do would be to forget about Jeff, meet a shy, perfect guy who turns out to be a prince, and live happily ever after in his kingdom. _

_But like I said, I'm pathetic. _

_And since I'm pathetic, I'm going to carry a torch for Jeff until the day that I die, regardless of what happens in the future. _

_It's the only thing I've ever known. _

Mickie James had never read something that could make her cry. She'd read _Old Yeller_, she'd read _My Sister's Keeper_, and _A Walk to Remember_ and hadn't shed a single tear.

But as she sat there in the bathroom of T-Bird stadium, she had tears that were sliding down her cheeks. She'd spent the course of the day reading Maria's personal thoughts, her diary, you might call it, and this was the final entry.

She'd been hurt when she found out that Jeff had cheated on her with Maria, her ex-best friend. But at the time, she hadn't known Maria.

Sure, they'd been friends for four years, but this...this wasn't the Maria that Mickie had known and loved. She just couldn't understand how Maria had allowed herself to get so broken.

Deep down, Mickie had always known that Maria hadn't been emotionally all there. She'd noticed the way that Maria had looked away when Mickie and Jeff had embraced, kissed, touched, even. She'd just been too inconsiderate to pay it any mind.

"Micks, are you okay?" Kelly asked, patting her shoulder.

Mickie sniffed and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. Hey, they're about to start the court ceremony, aren't they?"

Candice nodded, smiling. "They sure are! Man, I hope Lilian beats Eve and Rosa."

"Me too," chimed in Gail.

The Korean girl looked down to see that the cheerleaders were setting up for the game. Her eyes scanned the freshman, sophomore, and junior girls who were holding the signs. The Bella twins, Layla, and AJ were working with their water coolers. Since Rosa and Eve were maids, they were getting ready, and therefore not with the rest of the group. She frowned when she saw AJ make a twisted face and rub her arm. A dark, dark purplish bruise stretched across her shoulder all the way to her elbow. It was obvious that she'd tried to cover it up with concealer, but it hadn't worked very well.

Gail nudged Maryse. "Ryse, what's with AJ's arm?"

Maryse squinted. "I don't know," she said, "maybe she fell.

"Maybe," Gail said.

But she definitely wasn't convinced.

...

"All right everyone!" Mr. McMahon's voice boomed out of the stadium's press box, "It is now time to announce your 2012-2013 homecoming court!"

"Finally!" Candice yelled, squeezing Kelly's hand.

Kelly giggled at Candice's excitement.

"Okay," Mr. McMahon said. He then preceded to announce Krissy, Christy, Beth, Alicia, Victoria, and Melina. Then, came Lilian, Rosa, and Eve.

Of the senior maids, Lilian definitely looked the prettiest...and the classiest. Both of the other girls' dresses cut clean up to their hips. The homecoming court was supposed to wear floor-length _gowns_. Not little scraps of fabric that showed their ovaries when they bent over.

"And the moment you've all been waiting for...," he trailed off, "marching band, can I get a drumroll, please?"

A skinny kid named Gregory Helms did what Mr. McMahon asks and was greeted with slight chuckles from all around T-Bird Stadium.

"You're 2012-2013 homecoming queen is...," Mr. McMahon trailed off.

Everyone in the crowd held their breath, but no one more than Lilian, Rosa, and Eve. Eve shivered farther away from her dad, too nervous to be so close to someone, Rosa squeezed her father, and Lilian held on tighter to her dad.

"You're homecoming queen is...," Mr. McMahon repeated, a twinge of a laugh in his voice, "...Miss Lilian Garcia!"

The stadium blew up with excitement. Candice stood up and whooped loudly, evoking laughs from her friends and a pleased blush from Lilian who just happened to hear.

"The queen will now be crowned by the Thunderbird quarterback, John Cena, and the elected captain of the night, Shawn Michaels.

John shot Shawn a grin and patted his shoulder. "Come on, man."

Shawn nodded, his whole body shaking

"On behalf of Cross County high school," John vocalized everything he'd been ordered to rehearse. He chuckled and so did she. He slid the sash over her head and stepped back.

Shawn stepped forward and with shaking hands, "I hereby christen you, Queen Lilian." He placed the crown on top of her head, his cheeks burning with embarrassment. That gorgeous green dress on Lilian was absolutely magnificent and he found himself at loss for air.

"Thanks Shawnie," she whispered.

He looked down, too embarrassed to say anything else.

Lilian's father led her off of the field, with everyone on their feet.

...

"That bitch!"

"It was fixed, I just know it!"

"Which members of the team did she have to fuck to get all the votes?"

Eve, Rosa, AJ, Layla and the Bellas were holed up in the bathroom at the stadium. Rosa and Eve were changing out of their evening gowns and into their cheerleading uniforms.

Eve was crying; Rosa was shouting.

"Fuck her!" Rosa yelled, "fuck her and her little posse of whores!"

AJ winced. This language was hitting her way too close to home. She turned to leave.

"Where the hell do you think you're going, _April Jeanette_?" Brie asked.

AJ was trapped again. "I...I need some air. I feel claustrophobic."

Nikki sneered. "Hurry back, _April_."

AJ sighed, praying that no one had noticed the giant bruise that Daniel had given her the other day when he'd seen her asking Dave Batista for some Anatomy notes that she'd missed when her boyfriend had forced her to skip school with him.

Why was it that everyone in her life had to hurt her. Her boyfriend, her friends, even her parents.

AJ felt tears creep into her eyes but she blinked them away.

_What the hell is wrong with me?_

...

"Spirit line time!" Layla announced through her megaphone.

Torrie stood up and pulled Stacy to her feet. "Come on, Stace."

Stacy shook her head. "Torrie, those things are stupid.

Her best friend shrugged. "It would totally make Randy's day if you went down there to support him."

At the mention of Randy's name, Stacy blushed. She was still a little ashamed - and embarrassed that Torrie knew about she and Randy's situation. Of course, her feelings for Randy were still exactly as they always had been, but she was still embarrassed. She knew that he was basically using her as his toy...but wasn't she doing the same thing with him, too? He hadn't been the only one making the late night booty calls.

Stacy sighed. "Fine. You guys coming?' she asked Maria, Lita, Stephanie, and Trish.

Trish nodded. "It would mean the world to my sweet little Jericho."

Her friends all exchanged smiles as she blushed.

"I suppose I'll come," Stephanie said, "if I don't, Hunter will whine and bitch."

The friends all exchanged more glances. _Sure, that was why, Steph. _They all knew better.

Maria and Lita both shook their heads no.

"I'm gonna go talk to Matt in a second," Lita explained.

"And I'm going to get something to drink," Maria added.

"You can come sit with Matt and I-" Lita stopped, as she glanced up to where Matt sat with his brother.

Maria forced a smile. "No thanks, Lita."

Lita nodded. "Sorry, RIa," she apologized, flipping her fiery red hair over shoulder.

"It's fine," she replied, stepping off of the bleachers toward the food court.

Lita watched as Torrie, Stacy, and Trish all went to the field to join in on the spirit line. She then scanned the crowd for her boyfriend. She spotted him and he waved at her. Grinning, she climbed the steps toward him.

As she sat down, Matt asked, "What's the matter?"

She shrugged. "Nothing."

He frowned. "You're lying."

Lita released a slight chuckle. "It's nothing...I'm just...worried about Maria."

Matt made a point not to glance at his brother as Lita said this. But Jeff had heard and he looked down at his feet.

He'd hurt Maria, no doubt about it, but lately, she was hurting him, as well. She _claimed_ that she had no more feelings left for him and because he found himself unconditionally in love with her, this wounded him - hard.

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom," he muttered, quietly, stalking off.

...

"Let's go, T-Birds, let's go! Let's go, T-Birds, let's go!" the cheerleaders led the spirit line in pumping up the spirit line.

Everyone clapped along with the cheerleaders as the cheerleaders held the giant "let's go Birds" sign.

"WHOO!" everyone yelled, as the sign was broken, and led by John Cena, they ran out to the field.

Torrie couldn't help but smile when she saw her boyfriend leading the pack, the same for Stacy when she saw Randy close to John. Randy and John were such friends that they were rarely away from each other, much like Torrie and Stacy.

"Chris," Trish whispered, seeing the blond zip by in his blue jersey. Nothing felt as good as being his girlfriend again.

Stephanie shrugged, but she definitely could deny the thrill of seeing Paul, oh, _Hunter_, run down the field with his team.

Mickie felt a jolt of excitement shoot through her when she saw Cody run by. She shouldn't have, because they were only fake dating.

But she did.

And she wasn't the only one. Layla El, the British beauty _also_ had her eyes on him.

AJ Lee should have felt that way when her boyfriend ran by her, but only did she feel excitement when CM Punk did.

Ashley couldn't designate the amazing sensation that passed over her as she saw Adam, the team's tight end, her boyfriend. It was still hard to believe that Edge has chose over every girl in the school. It was even harder to believe that he cared for her to the extent that he did.

The only football players to notice anyone the line were Dave and Shawn, who just happened to see Lilian and Candice, the best friends, grinning happily at them. Shawn almost stumbled seeing the blond homecoming queen smiling and waving at him. And Dave, well, to him, Candice's smile could make the world stop turning for him. Surprisingly enough, Candice Michelle Beckman grinned wildly when she saw Dave Batista. It was more than obvious to her that he was definitely more than just a friend to her now. He was her confidante, she trusted him more than anyone in the world, including Lilian _and _her parents.

Gail, the newest girl to WWEHS, could only beam when she saw _her_ Evan.

Kelly Blank? She wasn't sure who she was happiest to see: CM Punk or Evan Bourne.

The only girl who wasn't happy to see someone on the football team was Maryse Ouellet, who's heart only felt punctured when she saw Ted Dibiase.

"Who's ready for some Thunderbird football?!"

The announcers, Mr. Jerry Lawler, the art teacher, Mr. Jim "JR" Ross, the dean of the students, and Mr. Michael Cole, the pre-cal/trig and geometry teacher were all ready to call the game.

The crowd was ready, as was the team and the cheerleaders.

The referee blew his whistle and the game officially began.

...

_Every time I see you, _

_Oh I try to hide away,_

_But when we meet it seems I can't let go,_

_Every time you leave the room, _

_I feel I'm fading like a flower,_

_Fading like a rose,_

_Fading like a rose,_

_Beaten by the storm,_

_Talking to myself, _

_Getting washed by the rain, _

_It's such a cold, cold town,_

_Oh, it's such a cold town._

Maria had her earbuds up all the way as she stood in line for the snack bar. Roxette's "Fading Like a Flower" was pounding in her ears and she definitely fell that way. Try as she might to ignore Jeff, to pretend she didn't want him, didn't ache for him, she _still_ hated to see him leave.

Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

She spun around, pulling her earbuds out of her ears.

She then stood face to face with a big guy with brown hair and a light dusting of facial hair. He wore a maroon and white TNA jersey and a smirk on his face.

"Hey," he said, touching her arm.

Maria flinched. "Hi." She then turned away, her back facing him.

He tapped on her again, but this time, she ignored him.

"Hey Red, I'm talking to you," he said.

Maria hunched her shoulders, still ignoring him.

The guy grabbed Maria waist and spun her around, "I _said_ I'm talking to you!"

Maria's face flashed with fear.

He smiled wickedly at her. "Now, we haven't been properly been introduced. I'm Robert Roode, but you can call me Robby. And you are...?" he trailed off, waiting for her response.

"Leaving," Maria retorted, stepping out of the line.

"Not until I get your name!" Robby jumped out of the line, too, running after Maria. He grabbed her arm roughly and flung her back toward him.

"Let go of me!" she yelled, squirming.

But Robby's grip was too strong for him to let her go. "What's your name?!"

Maria's eyes filled with tears. "Maria, okay?"

He eased his grip. "Maria, eh? Nice name. You got to TNA? I haven't seen you around."

She shook her head. "No," she retorted, "I go to WWE."

"Well, ain't that a shame," he said, staring at her.

Maria blew out a breath. "I've really got to go...," she trailed off.

"What's the rush?" he asked, "the game _just _started."

She stared at his jersey. "Why aren't you playing in it?"

He chuckled. "I got benched 'cause of anger issues. Some random shit that didn't even fucking matter."

Maria tried to pry herself from his grip again - to no avail. "Please let me go," she pleaded.

Robby opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a familiar North Carolina accent.

"Let her go," the voice said coolly.

Robby snorted at the rainbow-haired boy. "Who are you, her colorful, faggot friend?"

That word bit at both Jeff _and _Maria.

"No," Jeff replied, just as icy as before, "I'm her boyfriend and I suggest you leave her the fuck alone."

Robby snorted. "What the hell will you do about it, _boyfriend_?"

Jeff shrugged. "Beat your ass to hell and back?"

Robby stepped closer to Jeff. "I'd like to see you try, queer."

"I'm sure you would-"

"Ahem."

The testosterone in the air died down at the sound of Principal Laurinaitis's voice.

"Boys, I'm gonna need you both to calm down," he shifted his gaze back to Robby. "I suggest you go back to your side or leave. I won't have _anyone_ picking on my students."

Robby rolled his eyes, but turned on his heels and left. Mr. Laurinaitis left, too, pleased at this mild accomplishment.

Maria's eyes met Jeff's and she said, "Thank you."

He gave her a slight smile. "You're welcome."

And before Jeff knew it, she was gone.

...

"Fuck!" Cody took his helmet off and flung at the ground. As the team's wide receiver, he should have been able to catch the ball _whenever_, _whatever_, but so far that night, he'd only caught _one_ and had been tackled right after it. He didn't know what was wrong with him, but he was really sucking at the moment. And he couldn't make the Thunderbirds lose this game, no way. First of all, this was their homecoming, their most important game of the year. Second of all, they _could not _lose this game. It was against their biggest rivals TNAHS.

"Birds!" Coach Lesnar barked, "Huddle up, maggots!"

The team obeyed, stepping in front of Lesnar and Flair.

Ric Flair began to bark orders. "Cena, when Batista passes you the ball, you pass it to Levesque. But don't you _dare_ let anyone see it. 'Cause if you do, it's not only your ass, but Hunter's as well. Michaels, Batista, Orton, Punk, Edge. You do _everything_ in your power to block James Storm and Bully Ray and those stupid-ass guys who call themselves 'Beer Money.' You keep them from getting to Hunter - or John 'cause they're gonna think he has it. Cena, hold your arms like I showed you earlier, to look like your cradlin' that ball. And for God's sake, make sure Hunter gets through their line.

"Now go out their and kick some TNA ass!" Flair finished, and has his team ran off, he yelled, "Woo!"

The teams lined up, ready to knock helmets.

Everyone in the crowd held their breath, waiting for the play to begin.

The whistle blew.

"Down!" John shouted, "Set! Hut! Hut!"

The center of the team, Dave flicked the ball between his legs to John, who flung it to the man on his left: Hunter. John began running with his arms cradled to his left side, thus convincing TNA that _he _had the ball. Storm and Ray both collided into John - hard and he crumbled to the dirt, but he was only scraped, not hurt. Still, Torrie held her breath.

The two guys that made up Beer Money ran towards John, but his best friend saw them coming. Randy Orton flew towards both of them and knocked them both to the ground. He grinned, obviously proud of himself. Stacy Keibler was pretty proud, herself.

As this was going on, Alex Shelley from TNA realized that Hunter had the ball.

"You son of a bitch!" he yelled, speeding toward Hunter.

"No way!" Dave pancaked him to the ground - hard. Mind you, Dave weighed two-hundred and ninety pounds, only ten pounds away from being three-hundred pounds. Shelley lay sprawled on the ground.

Finally, Hunter had broke through again, almost to the goal-line. He was _so_ close that he could feel it. And then, from out of nowhere, Robbie T came flying toward him. Robbie was huge, the same size as, if not bigger than, Batista. And had it not been for Shawn Michaels, Hunter would have been down for the count.

But Shawnie wasn't one to leave his best friend hanging. No, definitely not. Shawn leapt to Robbie, landed on him, and fell flat, knocking both of them to the ground.

And guess who ran past the goal line?

Paul _Hunter_ Levesque.

"Touchdown WWE!" JR's voice boomed.

The response in the crowd was truly _unbelievable_.

Hunter spiked the ball and jiggled his legs around in a small victory dance, evoking a small giggle from Stephanie McMahon. Then, he grabbed Shawn and hugged his best friend tight.

The first half of the game was over, halftime was coming, and so far, the game was tied.

But there was an entire half left, and TNA was feeling very ruthless. If WWE was gonna win this game, they were definitely going to have to step it up even more.

**Okay, yay! The game has began. So, the next chapter is the second half of the game and the one after that will be the beginning of the dance. GOOD NEWS! I am on fall break all this week, therefore I'll have lots of free writing time. BAD NEWS! I have gone and entered **_**two**_** more MVC's, which I guess I shouldn't have done, but I'm addicted. Maybe I need an intervention...just kidding, lol. WORSE NEWS! I know I've said this a thousand times, but I don't have internet at home, so I won't be online much. MORE GOOD NEWS! My brother has football practice Monday, Tuesday, and possibly Wednesday, so I'll be able to update then because I'll be sitting with my little grandma at the school. So, if you're online at 10:15 AM central time, you may contact me on Twitter. Remember, I'm Twilsonwarrior. Follow me. I WILL follow you back! :)**

**The way I was able to write the plays so well (I think I did, lol, not very modest of me) is because my brother plays football and I've seen countless games! **

**Hope y'all enjoyed it. Oh, and one more thing, two shameless plugs...Ahem...I will be co-writing a story with my sweet, awesome Jorrie sister, Kelly Marie (XxBeautyFairytaleofJorrieXx). It's called "The Forbidden Touch." It's Jorrie (I'm sure you all saw that coming) and that's all I shall reveal at this moment. As it was her idea, it'll be on her profile. I shall give you updates as they come. WHICH IS WHY YOU SHOULD FOLLOW ME ON TWITTER. And the other one is "City Runaway," which is a WWE Soap Opera/Sitcom type story that is AMAZING. It's by my great friend, Matt (Dashings Destiny). It's very similar to this story in the fact that there's so many little stories going on. Despite the fact that his is WAY more organized than mine, lol. **

**This chapter is named for Trading Yesterday's "Shattered," the song that Maria wrote about in her diary. Listen to it. Serious. It's THE saddest thing you will ever hear. Legitimately. Accurately. **

**LOL, until next time! **

**-Kalina; JorriexLover**


	32. Loves Me Not

**I'm embarrassed. **

**Guys, in the last chapter, I called Bobby Roode 'Robby Roode.' Now, this tells you all how much I watch TNA, which isn't often at all. I pretty much stopped watching it when Kharma (Awesome Khong on there) turned up and started beating on my Beautiful People. And no, I don't mean Madison Rayne and Velvet Sky, I mean Velvet Sky and Angelina Love. Madison came around and screwed the Beautiful People up! Angelina was my Torrie of TNA, and since she's gone, the Knockouts are stale to me. BUT, I'm sure a lot of you still like it. The only way I watch it now is if my brother happens to turn it on and Jeff Hardy's on there. **

**And if you're wondering, **_**yes**_**, I was once a cheerleader. But it was a long time ago, so if I get some of this wrong, I apologize. However, I **_**do**_** remember a lot more than you'd expect. Sorry if I disappoint you, Koda. I'm sure you could definitely put me to shame! :)**

**Anyway, let's all move past my dumbness and get to the second half of the game. **

"It's halftime, everybody!" Mr. Lawler announced, loudly and everyone began to cheer, "which means at this time, we will announce the WWE _and _TNA cheerleaders!"

Of course, since this was a homecoming game, the TNA cheerleaders were up first.

"All right," JR said, "the first TNA cheerleader is Miss Brooke Tessmacher!"

Brooke raised her hand up, shouted, "T-N-A!" and landed a spread eagle.

TNA'S crowd cheered for the brunette.

"We've also got Madison Rayne!"

Madison was a dark-headed girl with beady eyes. But she smiled brightly, doing a herky and yelling, "Go Hornets!"

Winter and Rosita both merely raised their hands and yelled, "go Hornets!"

They were Freshman and were to be seen and _not_ heard.

"The co-captain is Miss Velvet Sky!"

Velvet did a toe-touch and yelled, "TNA!"

"And the captain is Miss Angelina Love!"

Angelina raised her hand, screamed, "Let's go Hornets!" and did a toe touch, landing in the splits.

"And that is the 2012-2013 TNA cheerleading squad! They are managed by Miss Brooke Hogan, daughter of football coach, Mr. Hulk Hogan."

The TNA side went wild with cheers, but only a few people from WWE applauded.

After they were finished announcing everyone's names, they did a short dance to D4L's "Laffy Taffy," which evoked many stares and pointing from _both_ sides.

"And now," Mr. Lawler announced, "it's time to announce the WWE side's cheerleaders!"

The WWE audience shouted with excitement and support for their cheerleaders.

"First, we have Layla El!"

Layla did a spread eagle and yelled, "Go Birds!"

The Bellas did a series of roundoffs and cartwheels after they were announced.

AJ raised her hand and yelled, "Go Birds!" She was in pain, and she certainly didn't feel like jumping around.

"The co-caption is Eve Torres!"

"Let's go Birds!" Eve yelled, doing a herky.

"And the captain is Rosa Mendes!"

"WWE!" she exclaimed, doing a toe touch.

"They are sponsored by Miss Stacy Carter," JR said. Mr. Lawler certainly didn't feel comfortable announcing his ex-wife.

The girls did their short dance, which was set to Skrillex's "Scary Monsters and Nice Sprites. Afterward, they were set to do a 'Cradle' lift. A cradle is when a flyer is tossed in the air and is caught in a cradle of three (or four) others. There was also spotters behind them, just in case someone happened to fall.

And because AJ was _definitely _the smallest of the girls, she was the spotter.

"Is...is it okay if we don't do the cradle tonight?" AJ asked.

The other five girls stared blankly at her.

"Like...could we do lunges instead?" she asked, the teensiest bit tearful.

AJ's arm was already bruised up extremely bad. She certainly didn't want to be lifted into the air. Lunges were much easier - and much safer - than cradles. With lunges, you simply stood on two people's thighs, with their legs bent in lunges. The other two held your legs so that you couldn't fall without them falling first, thus catching you before you can get hurt.

"But honey," Eve said snootily, "this is the _homecoming _game."

"Yeah," Rosa said, chuckling, "you're lucky I don't make you do a _basketball toss_."

A basketball toss is exactly what it sounds like.

AJ sighed. "Oh...kay."

Eve and Layla were the two strongest girls, therefore, they were the two lifting her, _using only their hands_. Rosa stood in front of them, the Bellas in the back.

Layla and Eve placed their hands down low so that AJ could step on them, and she placed either hand on the girls' shoulders.

"Ready?" Layla asked.

AJ swallowed and nodded.

With one swift movement, AJ was high up in the air, in front of the entire audience. She held up her arms in a high V a nd yelled, "Let's go Thunderbirds!" Her smile was bright and convincing.

And a total lie.

Regardless of how happy she looked, she felt like the complete opposite on the inside.

...

"John!"

John turned around, greeted by the wonderful sight of his girlfriend, Torrie. He couldn't help but smile. Torrie was dressed in a blue WWE Homecoming T-shirt, Miss Me Jeans, and silver glitter TOMS. Her hair was in curls, just like he liked it, and she had a huge beam on her face.

"Hey baby," he said. Torrie threw her arms around him, smiling.

There was a small amount of time before halftime was over and Torrie wanted more than anything to spend it with John.

He grinned, hugging her back. "You know, you shouldn't be hugging me. I'm sweatin' like a pig."

She shrugged. "I don't care. With that, she pulled his face closer to hers and kissed him.

"Aight...," he trailed off, "never mind."

Torrie giggled. "I'm 'bout to go to the concession stand. You want something?"

He thought for a second, rubbing his chin. "Well,...yeah. Can you get me a grape Powerade?"

She nodded. "Of course. I'll be right back."

John watched as his girlfriend walked off, heading toward the concession stand.

Sometimes, it was still extremely hard for him to believe that he and Torrie were back together. It seemed like forever since they'd broken up the first time and yet...it also seemed like just yesterday. It also seemed slightly like they'd rushed into getting back together _and_ that it had taken them forever to get back together.

The line was massive, that was for sure. But then again, it was half time. Everyone wanted something to eat or drink, but they didn't want to miss any of the game, either.

Torrie sighed. She truly hated lines. The only good thing was that there were three people in front of her that she could spy on. The three of them were all students from TNA. The quarterback of the TNA team, AJ Styles, his girlfriend, the cheerleading captain, Angelina Love, and her best friend, co-captain of the squad, Velvet Sky.

"We _will_ crush 'em, Ang, I promise," he said, draping his arm around her shoulder.

"You'd better," she replied.

But Torrie could tell she really didn't care what AJ was saying. Angelina was talking quietly to Velvet, quiet enough so that neither AJ nor Torrie could hear what they were saying.

AJ sighed. "This line is so damn long."

"Mmm-hmm," Angelina hummed in reply.

Torrie frowned. _What in the world was with this girl_?

...

"Hey, Steph."

Stephanie turned around, seeing Paul Levesque standing in front of her. She gave Trish and Maria a small smile before turning back to him. "Hey, Hunter."

Trish, Stacy, and Maria giggled and Stephanie shot them a nasty glance. "Hi, Hunter."

He smirked at her, crossing his arms. "So...did you see my touchdown?"

She nodded. "Sure did. Saw your little dance, too."

He laughed. "I had a right to dance, okay? I scored a touchdown and now the game's tied."

She shrugged. "Exactly. It's _tied_. When you win the game, I'll be impressed."

He chucked. "So I _can _impress you, can I?"

"Well...," Stephanie trailed off, turning red.

"Well...," he mimicked, "exactly. I'm gonna go win the game now!"

Hunter winked at Stephanie before turning on his heels and walking in the opposite direction.

Stephanie sighed, shaking her head. Hunter had a hold on her, for sure.

But what she didn't know was that he had a hold on her, too.

...

Chris and Trish sat happily together, watching as the second half of the game began. It felt so amazing - for both of them - to be together again. It was hard to believe that only a year ago, they'd broken up because of Christian Reso. But all of that was over now...wasn't it?

Perhaps not.

Christian watched the ecstatic couple jealously. He'd had Trish, but now he didn't. He could understand why they'd broken up, yes, he'd been using her to get to Lita. But now, he wasn't sure if he really had. In the months they'd been together, had he fallen for, for real? He didn't know. All he knew was that there was something he had to do. And that something had to be done.

_Tonight._

...

Maryse watched as Ted ran onto the field, sighing. She was by herself, as Gail and Kelly and Mickie had gone to the concession stand and Lilian and Candice had gone to the bathroom. She felt like being alone. Maryse missed Ted. She missed him a whole lot.

And now, she was going to the dance with Miz. Sure, Mike was nice enough, but she _loved_ Ted. She had for a long time and just because of some pictures of what she and Mike had _allegedly _been doing, she couldn't have any more.

Damn Michelle McCool. Dam her, damn her, damn her!

"Hey, Maryse."

Well, speak of the devil. There she was, the bitch herself.

Maryse sneered her nose at Michelle. "Hey, home wrecker."

Michelle furrowed her brows. "What are you talking about?"

"What am I talking about?" Maryse asked, "Michelle, you took pictures of Mike and I and gave them to Ted and-"

"He deserved to know!" Michelle snapped.

"We weren't doing anything!" Maryse snapped back, "You know, you're gonna have a hell of problems soon. Karma's a bitch."

Michelle sneered again. "Karma's not the only bitch around."

Maryse smiled. "Really now?"

Before Michelle could answer, Maryse granted her with a backhand right across the face.

Michelle's hand flew to her face. "What the hell?" she yelled.

Maryse shrugged. "You deserved it."

"Deserve this, bitch!" Michelle screamed, pushing Maryse down to the floor of the bleachers.

Maryse gasped. She wasn't really hurt, just shocked. Out of anger, Maryse swung her legs up, kicking Michelle in the back of her legs, knocking her down. She hit her head on the bleachers.

Maryse got to her feet to do something else, but was interrupted. "Ryse, stop!"

She heard Mickie's voice and froze.

Maryse looked up and saw that her friends had returned. Kelly stepped up and said, "Begone!" to Michelle.

Michelle chuckled and then looked straight at Maryse. "You'll pay for this, you know," she retorted.

"What just happened?" Gail asked.

Maryse shrugged. "The bitch needed a wake up call."

...

With Lita and Trish with Chris and Matt, Stephanie, Stacy, Torrie, and Maria were alone. In fact, they were headed to the bathroom. TNA was on offense and no one wanted to watch that. They decided that this was the best time to use the bathroom, because there was no way that they wanted to miss WWE being on offense, perhaps even scoring.

"The door's shut," Torrie said, examining the door.

Stephanie and Maria both chuckled. "Thanks, Captain Obvious," Stephanie replied.

Torrie swatted her arm. "I know this!"

"You know," Stacy said, "I really don't need to go. It's cramped enough as it is."

"I don't have to go, either," Maria replied, "I just didn't want to be left alone."

Stacy chuckled. "You want to go sit down, Ria?"

Maria nodded. "Sure, let's go."

Stephanie and Torrie shared a glance.

"Well," Torrie said, "fine, just leave us!"

Stephanie nodded, giggling as Stacy and Maria walked off.

"It's still shut, Steph," Torrie said.

"I know," Stephanie replied, "just open it, Tor."

"But...but what if someone's in there?" Torrie asked.

Stephanie shrugged. "what the hell, Torrie? If there's someone in there, the door would be locked."

"But-"

"Oh, for God's sake!" Stephanie leaned forward and creaked the door open.

Torrie had been correct, someone _was _in there. She didn't know them very well, as they were students from TNA. She did, however, know them, because they were cheerleaders: Angelina Love and Velvet Sky. However, they were definitely not doing something most people did with their best friend in the bathroom.

They were _kissing_.

Stephanie slowly creaked the door shut. "We tell no one, agreed?"

Torrie, wide-eyed, nodded. "Right."

...

Well, here they were. The final play of the game. The game was tied again, 16-16. WWE was on offense, but they were on their fourth down with only seconds left. Anticipation - and stress - was running rampant all throughout the arena.

"This is it!" Coach Lesnar barked, "this is the last play of the game, guys!"

"We're gonna do a quarterback sneak," Coach Flair said, nodding at John.

John took a deep breath. "Coach, I don't think that-"

Coach Flair glared at him. "Did I ask you what you thought?"

Before John could answer, Coach Flair answered, anyway. "No, I didn't. Quarterback sneak. If you don't do that, you're all running laps for the rest of the season. _Off season_, too."

John sighed. "Yes, sir."

He was lying, though. As the players were headed to the field, John caught Cody's jersey.

"We're not doing the quarterback sneak, we're too far away. I'm gonna throw it to you, and you're gonna catch it."

Cody's eyes widened. "I can't catch it!" he exclaimed, "I haven't got anything all game."

"Yes, you can," John replied, "Codes, you're good, I know you are. You're gonna catch it. If you don't, I'll murder you, okay?"

Before Cody could reply, John patted his shoulder and said, "Right."

Cody swallowed, getting into his position.

"Down, set, hut, hut!" John yelled, Dave passing him the ball.

Because the players were all set up for a quarterback sneak, the TNA team's players all ran for John. Try as they might, the boys on the line were unable to hold back the lineman on TNA's team were ruthless, doing the best they could to take John down. Just as big Robby T knocked John to his feet, he spiraled the ball to Cody.

Cody could see it coming, but he was far from it. He ran as fast as his legs could take him, to the spot where the spiraling ball was going. He raised his arms up and miraculously...he somehow caught the ball. Cody stopped out of pure shock, unable to move.

"Run!" the players - and the fans - yelled.

"Go, dammit!" Coach Lesnar yelled.

Somehow, Cody ran, ran all the way to the goal line. And then the buzzer went off, the referee's arms up way over his head.

The response was _unbelievable_. The audience, the coaches, the cheerleaders, his teammates, they were all screaming like crazy. Some people were even crying.

At first, it didn't register to Cody that he, _he'd_ scored the winning touchdown.

The homecoming game was over, but WWE had won, 22-16. WWE had beaten TNA. The Thunderbirds had defeated the Hornets.

Cody's smile turned to a beam and his teammates ran over, greeting him with fist-punches, pats on the back, hugs, and all around excitement.

The coaches were too happy to yell at John for deliberately disobeying their play. But if it hadn't been for his play, they might not have won.

Cody looked up, tears welling up in his eyes. _I did it_. He saw Mickie running toward him and nothing, _nothing _could have made this night better.

_That's my boy!_ Mickie's thoughts were rolling in her head.

But little did she know, Layla El was thinking the exact same thing.

**Woot! WWE won, yay, yay, yay! Not that we all expected anything less. BUT, I hope that I surprised you with who scored the winning point. I bet you didn't see a fight coming, either. Actually, I didn't either, lol. But what is the most surprising was that two of TNA's cheerleaders are lovers...LE GASP! I felt so awful for my poor little AJ, teared up a little as I was writing this. **

**You know, it's about damn time I got to this. Our homecoming's Friday, lol. I'm working on our float. It's a boxing ring and I'm the referee. They even made me a Cena-inspired sign. It's a T-Bird doing the "You Can't See Me." **

**Speaking of Cena, I might be seeing him next week! It says on that he'll be at the live event in Jonesboro, and my cousin and I are going. I really can't wait for that. I haven't seen Sheamus, Punk, Daniel, or AJ yet and I really want to see them. Well, not Punk, I just want to boo him. I saw Kane years and years ago when he didn't have his mask. He and Taker fought Big Daddy V and Mark Henry. I don't know if y'all remember all of that. **

**Anyway, I've decided to start asking you all a question at the end of each chapter. You don't have to answer, I just thought it might be fun! So...here we go! "If you could go to ANY WWE wedding with ANY paring at all, who's would you go to and why?" You can say more than one. I'd go to John and Torrie's, lol. Or Randy and Stacy's or Jeff and Maria's. I figure that Jorrie's would be very bright, lots of pink. Rancy's would be very fancy, and Jeria's would be very creative. **

**Hope you all enjoyed! The next chapter will be the dance, where everything will come to a climax. Well, not everything, we've still got a WHOLE LOT of story left. Just the current stuff, heehee. **

**The chapter's named for T.a.T.u.'s "Loves Me Not." LOVE THAT SONG, although I don't really know what it's about! :)**

**-Kalina**


	33. Never Say Never

**This was extremely difficult to write because this chapter and the one after are more than likely going to be the most dramatic chapters yet. But, I hope that it lives up to y'all's standards! **

_I think I've finally had enough. I think I maybe think too much. I think this might be it for us. So blow me one last kiss. _

The gym was decorated with blue and white balloons, streamers, crepe paper, and posters. Everything was sparkly and the atmosphere was awesome. Everyone was extremely pumped after winning the game and P!nk's "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" was already blaring through the speakers. WWEHS's students were excited and ready to begin the rest of the night.

Maria walked in with Stephanie and Stacy, her two _single_ friends. Torrie was with John, but she'd promised Maria that she'd be back, and Trish and Lita were with Chris and Matt.

"To being single!" Stephanie toasted. Maria and Stacy laughed, clinking their glasses of punch to hers.

"Did I hear something about being single?"

The three girls tuned around to see Hunter and Shawn standing behind them.

Stephanie shrugged. "Maybe. Why should you care?"

He shrugged back at her, then reached over and twirled a strand of her straight brown hair around his finger. "'Cause Shawnie and I are single, too. It kind of sucks."

She shrugged again. "It depends on the person. I'm totally fine with it."

Hunter clicked his tongue. "Dance with me, Steph."

For some odd reason, Stephanie blushed.

"What?"

"Dance with me," he repeated. His eyes were very serious.

Stephanie opened her mouth to reply, but was instead jerked toward the dance floor. Hunter smiled at her and she in turn, giggled back.

Maria and Stacy shared a glance and then a giggle.

"Told you I'd be back," Torrie said, grinning like crazy.

"_What is_ wrong with you?" Stacy asked, narrowing her eyes at her best friend.

"What do you mean?" Torrie asked, still beaming.

By now, Stacy was grinning, too. Stifling a laugh, she said, "you look like you just had sex."

As Torrie's mouth dropped open in shock, Maria laughed along with Stacy. "I _did not_ just have sex," Torrie defended.

"All right," Maria said, still giggling, "then what is it?"

The mischievous smile returned to Torrie's beautiful face. "Can't say, can't say, can't say! But John's part of it."

Stacy sighed and shook her head. "I worry about you, Tor."

Torrie reached over and patted Stacy's arm. "As I worry about you, Stacy Ann-Marie.

As "Blow Me (One Last Kiss)" faded out, Natalya Neidhart ran up to the stage and grabbed a microphone. "WWEHS, I hope you all have a fantastic time tonight. Right now, we're going to pass the mic to some students who have something to sing."

"Really?" Stacy asked, "who's that ballsy? I wouldn't sing in front of the school."

Maria nodded. "I was fine with the gigs, 'cause people actually wanted to hear it. But not the school. I'd rather not come home covered in tomato."

Torrie smiled at her friends, but continued to stare toward the stage.

"Please welcome Jeff Hardy...," Nattie trailed off, "and our quarterback, John Cena!"

Torrie beamed, "see, I told you!"

Maria's face flushed.

When you love someone as much as Maria loved Jeff, it was as if they were a part of you. And because she didn't have him, a tremendous part of her was missing. Jeff held her heart in his hands and no way was she ever getting it back. She loved him _way_ too much.

Stacy was very confused. "What the hell...?" she trailed off. She looked up, seeing Randy walk up to her. She smiled and punched his arm. "Hey, there."

He grinned. "Hey, Stace."

"What's going on with your best friend and Jeff Hardy?" she inquired.

He smiled, but ran his index finger and thumb over his lips. "My lips are sealed. You'll just have to watch."

Everyone tuned it, awaiting what was to happen.

Stephanie was very excited to once again hear her favorite song.

_I'm at a pay phone, trying to call home all of the change I spent on you. Where have the times gone? Baby, it's all wrong. Where are the plans we made for two?_

Jeff's eyes were locked dead on Maria. She felt like he was staring directly into her soul. Everyone in the room could feel it.

No one more than Mickie James, though. She drew out a long, narrow breath and put her face in her hands. She knew what she had to do.

Mickie stood up from her chair, leaving her friends and made a beeline to her ex-best friend.

Maria was too busy staring right at Jeff. Everyone else in the huge room were wondering if either of them were blinking.

_You say it's too late to make it, but is it too late to try? And in the time that you wasted, all of my bridges burned down, I wasted my nights, you turned out the lights, now I'm paralyzed. Still stuck in the time when we called it love, but even the sun sets in paradise. _

Stacy was the first one to notice Mickie approaching Maria. A jolt of dread shot throughout her and she thought about alerting Maria and Torrie, but it was too late, Mickie had already tapped Maria's shoulder.

Maria turned, with everyone holding their breath, to see her former best friend standing in front of her, smiling wanly. She frowned, confused as to what was going to happen.

Two words escaped from Mickie's lips. "I'm sorry."

And before Maria could reply, Mickie had turned her back and was heading back toward Kelly, Maryse, Ashley, Candice, Lilian, and Gail.

Maria was absolutely speechless. She shared glances with Torrie and Stacy, but they were speechless, as well.

Finally, John's reason for being onstage became clear.

_Man, F that shh...I'll be out spendin' all this money while you're sitting around wondering why I came up from nothin.' Made it from the top, now when you see me, I'm stuntin.' _

John Cena was _rapping_. Until now, Jeff, Torrie, and Randy had been the only ones that knew John rapped. And he was pretty damn good at it, too.

But Maria couldn't take this anymore. She had something to do and she had to do it now.

Finally, Jeff and John finished their song and Jeff sighed. The applause was deafening, so he should have been excited. But he wasn't. After he'd finished, he'd looked around for Maria, but she was gone. Apparently, his song had meant nothing to her.

John gave his friend a hard look and patted his shoulder. "Sorry, bro. I thought for sure she'd get this. I guess Torrie ain't that accurate."

Jeff pasted a smile and said. "S'alright," he replied, "thanks for helping me, man."

John nodded, patted Jeff's shoulder once more, and headed off the stage.

Jeff took a deep breath and clamped down the stairs. Everyone watched as he plodded to a chair and sat down, putting his face in his hands.

Suddenly, a familiar melody floated into the room and a soft graze passed over his arm.

_Oh, why you look so sad? Tears are in your eyes. Come on and come to me now. Don't be ashamed to cry, let me see you through, 'cause I've seen the dark side, too. When the night falls on you, you don't know know what do, nothing you confess could make me love you less. I'll stand by you. I'll stand by you. Won't let nobody hurt you. I'll stand by you._

He looked up. Maria wasn't on stage and she wasn't leading, but she was singing softly, straight to him. He stood up and looked deep into her eyes.

No one could describe how they felt. With this simple look, they both knew that the pain, the agony of being alone, it was over. Whatever happened with Mickie was _over_.

Jeff took a deep breath, while Maria held hers and bent down. Softly, slowly, he kissed her. It was tender and beautiful and sweet and wonderful. He pulled away after only a few moments.

She grinned up at him through her happy tears. She sniffed. "Wanna get out of here?"

He nodded, beaming. "I thought you'd never ask."

...

"That was sweet," Stephanie said, grinning up at Hunter.

He nodded. "It sure was, Steph."

She noticed that he was spaced out and immediately, she wanted to know why. "What's the matter."

Hunter sighed. "I've got a confession to make."

She frowned. "Really...what is it?"

Well, he didn't confess, instead, the lyrics to "I'll Stand By You" got to him and placed both of his hands on either of Stephanie's cheeks. Moving quickly, he pressed his lips to hers. Just as quickly, he pulled away.

"I never fucked Miss Laurer."

...

Candice and Dave were dancing, too. Swaying actually, both completely content at the position.

"Thank you, Dave," she said, gazing up at him.

He chuckled. "For what?"

"For...everything," Candice replied, "being my friend, supporting me, dancing with me. And I quit stripping," she whispered, grinning at him.

His eyes lit up and he lifted the brunette in the air. "You did?! Oh my God, Candy!"

She giggled, hugging him tightly. "Thank you so much. You're so much more than a friend."

He gave her a confused glance.

She sighed and wiggled her finger toward him. He bent down closer to her. Smiling wanly, she pressed her lips to his gently.

Finally, she pulled away, both of their hearts pounding. "Dave, I love you."

His entire body lifted with absolute delight. He pressed her head to his shoulder, putting her ear to his lips. "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear you say that."

Candice smiled. She loved Dave, for sure.

She could only pray that he didn't find out that she'd lied to him.

Her job...well, it was still intact.

**Voila! We have the dance. Well, the sweet part, anyway. I have a question now! Who's your favorite character(s), least favorite character(s), favorite storyline(s), and least favorite storyline(s). Oh, and also, what pairing are you reading for? Anyway, hope you all enjoyed! **

**Hugs! **

**-Kalina**


	34. How Do I Live?

**Prepare yourselves, for this is going to be the most dramatic (that's all I'll say) chapter yet, if not in the whole story. So thanks to...**

**Matt, Kelly, Koda, Aasta,Tara, Meaghan, Freya, ImSeriousBro, LitasaultStratusfaction, Cena's baby doll, & anyone else who's reviewed. I love you all! :D**

Lilian stood alone, watching Candice and Dave, Mickie and Cody, Gail and Evan, and Kelly and Punk dance. She was feeling more than a little left out.

"Hey, Lil."

The beautiful, Latin blond looked up to see a boy with dark hair standing in front of her. It was Wade Barrett, her escort.

She pasted a smile on her face. To be quite truthful, Wade creeped her out. She couldn't explain why, but the fear was there. He just had an...eerie way about him.

"Hi Wade," she replied, looking up at him.

His eyes shifted to the dance floor, where many couples (and some friends) were dancing to "Never Say Never" by The Fray. He gestured toward the crowd. "Wanna dance?"

Lilian shrugged, her eyes drifting around, looking for the boy she _really_ wanted to dance with. However, he was nowhere around, and so she nodded. "Sure, Wade."

...

Punk began gasping. "Kel, can we cut this short? I'm exhausted."

Kelly giggled. "Sure. But God, Punk, how out of shape are you?"

He shrugged. "A lot, I guess." He grinned, looking into her eyes. He leaned forward and pecked her forehead. "I'll be right back, I'm gonna go to the bathroom."

She nodded. "Okay."

She walked over and sat down at an almost empty table. The only other person sitting there was her former best friend, Stephanie McMahon.

She tried a smile, thankful to be given one back. "Hey, Steph."

Stephanie nodded. "Hey, Kelly."

"So, what's up?"

Stephanie shrugged. "Well, apparently, Hunter never did Miss Laurer."

Kelly gasped, her eyebrows raising. "What?!"

"She was tutoring him," Stephanie explained, "and he made all of that shit about fucking her up because he was trying to get to me."

Kelly's jaw dropped. "What the hell?"

Stephanie shrugged, but looked down, attempting to hide her pleased look. "All for me."

Kelly noticed the smile on Stephanie's face and reached over and squeezed Stephanie's hand. "I think it's high time you and I had a _long_ talk."

...

Punk let the door to the bathroom swing behind him. Business done, he was ready to head back out and dance with Kelly. He was almost completely positive that he had her, all he really had to do was ask her out and seal the deal.

Suddenly, he heard a noise.

"Shut up, AJ!"

"Daniel, please-"

SMACK!

"I said shut up! Do I have to beat the shit out of you again?!"

The voices were coming from the small supply closet behind bathrooms. Without a second thought, Punk tried to open the door, but it was locked.

"Daniel-"

There was a huge thud and a scream.

Punk took a huge breath, backed up, and kicked the door open.

There, he found Daniel Bryan standing over AJ Lee, who was crumbled against the wall.

"AJ, are you okay-"

"Get the hell out of here!" Daniel yelled, pushing past Punk and running away.

Punk knelt down beside AJ and whispered, "AJ, are you okay?"

AJ nodded through her tears.

Punk looked closer and looked at the huge bruise that cut all the way from her shoulder to her elbow. It was huge and angry and blue, purple, and black. Some areas were yellowed, as if they were trying to heal.

"AJ, you cheered with _this_? You did a lift with _this_?" he asked, concerned.

She nodded and sniffed. "It's-it's not a big deal, Punk. Daniel's just...," she trailed off, searching for something, anything, to say.

Punk sighed. "Daniel's not a good guy, obviously, AJ. Come on," he grabbed her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Can you...could you, maybe...take me home?" she asked, looking at the floor. "Rosa, Layla, and Nikki and Brie won't want to leave. I think Daniel's already left, so-"

Punk nodded. "I'll take you home. And you let _me_ deal with Daniel."

Fear flashed in AJ's eyes. "You can't! Daniel loves me, he just...he gets angry."

"Angry enough to hit you?" Punk asked, arching an eyebrow.

AJ looked at the floor, obvious shame and humiliation in her eyes.

Punk sighed. "Come on."

He put his arm around her and led her out of the closet. "Hold on," he said, "I gotta take care of something."

She nodded.

He walked over to where Kelly and Stephanie sat laughing. He was taken aback. Weren't they mad at one another?

"Hey, Kells," he said.

"Yeah?" she asked, looking up at him.

"I'm gonna take AJ home. She's had a...rough night," he said, eyeing her.

Kelly nodded sadly. "Okay. Well, I had fun."

He grinned at her. "Me, too." He nodded in goodbye.

Kelly felt a pain in her heart as he walked off, which Stephanie noticed. But, she decided not to say anything.

The blond took a deep breath and took a sip of her punch.

...

"So Lilian," Wade said, smiling down at her.

"Yeah?" she asked. "I was thinking, would you maybe want to go out sometime?" his eyes were hopeful, but a bit sinister, too.

Lilian's breath caught in her throat. She _definitely_ didn't want to go out with him, but she didn't want to hurt him, either. "Um...," she trailed off, "I'm...I'm not really dating at the moment. But if I start to, you'll be the first guy I call, all right?"

His smile flattened, but quickly returned. "Okay. Listen, I'm gonna go get something to drink. Want anything?"

She shook her head. "I think I wanna go talk to Candice. That is, if I can pull her away from Dave for two seconds."

It was true. Ever since Dave and Candice had kissed and she'd admitted that she loved him, they'd been glued to each other. It was probable that someone could shoot off a machine gun and they wouldn't notice.

He chuckled. "Yeah. Well, I'll see ya."

She nodded, heading over to where her best friend was dancing.

Wade glared over at her. "I'll show you rejection..."

...

"I missed you so much," Chris said, nuzzling Trish's hair.

She smiled up against him. "I missed you, too. I don't know what the hell was wrong with me."

"Me neither," he replied, evoking a chuckle from the blond, "I'm a sexy beast, baby!"

She shook her head, laughing. "Yes, you are." She laid her head on his shoulder as they swayed.

The song ended and "Ghangman Style" came on.

"Way to kill the moment," Chris muttered.

Trish laughed, only to be interrupted by the sudden arrival of her ex-boyfriend, Christian Reso.

"Hey, guys," he said, smirking at the both of them.

"Go away, Christian," Trish said through gritted teeth.

Christian remained standing, feet still planted firmly on the floor.

Chris glared at him. "You heard her."

Christian shrugged. "I'm not her puppet. He coughed. "Unlike you."

Chris pulled away from Trish bumped chests with Christian. "Wanna say something else?"

Christian smirked and nodded. "Yeah, something that involves Trish's best friend."

Trish's eyes widened. "Christian, please-"

"Trish, what's he talking about?" Chris asked, puzzled.

"N-nothing," Trish lied. She looked over to see her redheaded best friend frowning sadly at her.

"It's okay," Lita said, "I'm tired of lying."

"What?" Matt asked.

Lita took a deep breath, locking eyes with Adam. "Matt, I've...well, _we've_ been keeping a secret from you."

Matt's eyes widened. "What?"

Lita swallowed. "A...a few years ago at one of Candice's parties, you know, the one I got drunk at, the one you left me at?"

He nodded. "That was one of our only fights."

She looked down at the floor. "Well, Edge was drunk, too. And we...," she trailed off.

Matt's jaw locked. "You what?"

"We slept together," Lita admitted, tears spilling over.

Matt's eyes grew angry with a twinge of hurt. Across the room, Ashley had heard, too. Without looking back, she ran out of the gym, a combination of hurt and humiliation.

"Ashley!" Edge yelled, running after her.

Matt turned away from Lita.

"I'm...I'm sorry," she gasped, grabbing his arm.

He turned back, looking at her. "I can't even look at you right now!"

He ran off, too, with Lita not far behind him.

Everyone in the room was too shocked to move.

...

Wade Barrett grabbed his coat and put it on. He surveyed the room, looking for a victim. Suddenly, he spotted a leggy blond at the punch bowl, with no one around her. His feet shuffled toward her.

"Stacy," he said, tapping on her shoulder.

She spun around, coming face to face with him. She smiled, sweetly. "Hey, Wade, how are-"

Before she could finish, he had his arm wrapped around her neck.

She coughed. "What the hell, Wade?!"

He reached into the pocket of his coat and pulled out his Glock handgun, pressing to it to her skull.

"Nobody move!" he shouted.

A few people cried out, a few people pressed themselves against the wall. There was truly nothing anyone could do. They were all at Wade's mercy.

Stacy was shaking, praying to God that someone could help her.

"Holy fuck," Randy Orton muttered under his breath. His heart felt like it had stopped beating. What the hell was he supposed to do?!

"Lilian, Lilian, Lilian," Wade said, waving the gun around, shifting his gaze toher, "you should have never rejected me."

Lilian blinked and whimpered.

Before she could move, Wade pointed the gun straight at her and fired.

The poor blond Latina was frozen in fear.

"No!"

A body jumped in front of her and then fell, hit from Wade's shot.

"Shawn!" Lilian said, falling to the floor beside him.

Dave wrapped his huge arms around Candice tightly, as she began to sob uncontrollably. Her best friend had almost gotten shot!

At this, Wade began to fire randomly into the crowd. His next victim was Gail Kim, who fell into her boyfriend's shaking arms.

"Gail!" Evan cried, holding her tightly, totally helpless.

Boom! Eve Torres was down.

With another pow, Ted Dibiase was, too.

Wade looked up to see Mr. Lawler running toward him, and with a mere fire, the art teacher's leg was bleeding uncontrollably.

Finally, Wade pointed the gun back at Stacy.

"Stacy!" Torrie sobbed, "John we've got to do something."

They were too late, as Randy was already flying at Wade. He threw his body on him, and Wade was so shocked that he didn't shoot.

"Run!" Randy yelled at Stacy.

"But, Randy!" she yelled back.

"Go!" he yelled, punching Wade.

Stacy, eyes overflowing with tears, ran into Torrie's arms.

Wade reached for his gun and smirked. "Ready to die, Orton?"

Randy glared at him. "Not on your terms!"

He punched Wade again, and the gun went off.

One body fell, one stood up in victory.

"Randy!" Stacy sobbed, running toward him.

He wrapped his arms around her. "It's all over now, Stacy. It's over."

She continued to sob, because it wasn't over. Including Wade, six people from WWEHS had been shot.

"I've got 911 on the phone right now," Stephanie said with shaking hands.

"Shawn!" Lilian sobbed over and over. Hunter wasn't far behind her, tears filling his eyes. He couldn't lose his best friend, he just couldn't! Evan was crying too, as Gail hadn't moved since she'd been shot.

Michelle was knelt beside Ted, but Maryse pushed her away. "Ted!" she yelled consecutively. She was too distraught to even begin to worry about Miz and Michelle.

Coach Flair knelt down beside Wade, searching for a pulse. "He's dead," he announced.

Eve's friends were all gathered around her body. She was screaming bloody murder in pain. And one boy in the room was more hurt than he should have been.

Did Mike Mizanin really like Maryse as much as he thought he did? Teachers were attending to Mr. Lawler, who was breathing very hard and writing in pain.

But the most distraught person in the room was without a doubt the homecoming queen, Lilian Garcia. Truth be told, this was all because of her.

And the guilt was eating her alive.

**So, what do we think? I'm sorry that it too so damn long, it's just that my brother's and I's chargers both stopped working and it was AWFUL! I could hardly do anything. I had to borrow other people's at school and it sucked! S-U-C-K-E-D! But, luckily, my dad (somehow) fixed my brother's, and therefore, I can actually do stuff now! So, yay! **

**Please tell me what you think of the victims. It took me forever to decide who was going to get shot. **

**The chapter is named for Leeann Rimes (or Trisha's Yearwood's) "How Do I Live?" Beautiful, beautiful song! :D**

**Also, one more quick thing. Kelly Marie (XxBeautyFairytaleofJorrieXx are co-writing a Jorrie story! It's called "The Forbidden Touch" and it's on her account. Check it out! **

**Speaking of Kelly, the other day, I just happened to stumble across a story called, 'John Cena and Torrie Wilson.' I was skimming through it, and I noticed that it sounded **_**very**_** familiar. At the bottom, the person who wrote it explained that it sounded a lot like **_**Be Mine, Forever**_**, which is one of Kelly's stories. She also said that she'd emailed her and that Kelly was leaving fan fiction and said that it was all right for them to use it. I thought it sounded suspicious, so I asked her on Twitter about it. The person made the whole thing up! So, at least four or five of us reported them and luckily, Fan Fiction removed it, which is great! No one better ever do that again, because Kelly probably won't say anything, but I WILL. And she's much nicer than me! Seriously, guys, don't plagiarize. All that happens is you catch a lot of shit, which, I must say, if you do it, you'll deserve it! **

**Well, hope you all enjoyed! **

**Thanks so much! **

**-Kalina**


	35. Scream

**Thank you all so much for the feedback! I can't believe how popular this story is. Again, thank you sooooooo much! Hope you enjoy! :D**

Maria's eyes fluttered open. She was awakened by the only touch that could send the shivers down her spine that did: Jeff Hardy's.

He was tracing his finger around her hand, just staring as she laid there. "Is this real?" he asked, absentmindedly.

Maria let out a soft giggle. "Yeah, I think it is, Jeff."

He shut his eyes. "I can believe it."

"Me neither," she agreed, then sighing, she sat up and looked around.

They were at Jeff's house, lying in his bed. After they left the dance, he'd driven them straight there, but they hadn't had sex. They'd only went up to his room, to be together. That's truly all that they'd ever wanted. And luckily, his father was working the night shift that night.

Jeff was a guy, yes, and sure, he had needs. But unlike most teenage boys, Jeff understood Maria's feelings and how she needed to know that he wasn't just using her to get off - although, that definitely wasn't why. Still, Maria needed to know that.

"I love you," he said, winking at her in the darkness.

A bright smile crept across Maria's face. "I love you, too," she said. And she did. It was so hard to believe that after ten - _ten_ years, she finally had Jeff. He was all she'd ever wanted.

Jeff couldn't believe how much he loved Maria. It was truly amazing. He'd only had one girlfriend in his seventeen years, and that had been Mickie. He had liked Mickie all right, but he hadn't truly _loved _her. No, that feeling had been hidden deep within his heart for Maria. And he was kicking himself right now for not realizing it earlier.

He bit his lip. He'd been planning this speech in his head for a very long time and now, he was going to recite it.

"Maria," he squeaked.

"Hmm?" she asked, shutting her eyes again. It _had _been a long night, after all.

"I'm sorry," he apologized.

Maria frowned and propped her elbow beside him. "For what?"

"For putting you through this. I...I understand how it feels to be in love now and to not be able to do _anything_ about it. I'm sorry it took me so long to realize that I love you, too."

She was silent.

"Ria?"

Maria sniffed. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

She nodded in the dark. "I'm f-fine." But there were tears rolling down her cheeks.

"Maria, you're crying," Jeff said, reaching over and brushing them away.

Maria sniffed again. "I'm fine," she repeated, "really. I'm not sad. I'm just really...happy. I'm relieved. I was so tired of coming home every day with my heart in shambles. Now, it's almost whole."

Jeff raised an eyebrow. "_Almost_?"

Maria frowned. "I still lost my best friend," then she paused. "Although, she _did _apologize at the dance." _Here she comes again, like good medicine. Every steps she takes, my blood is flowin.' Her legs go on and on for days..._

"Is that your phone?" Jeff asked.

Maria chuckled. "Yeah, it is." She reached over to the nightstand and got her Vera Bradley bag. She reached into it and pulled out her Android Galaxy. "It's Torrie," she announced, "should I answer it?"

He nodded. "Yeah, 'cause if you don't, she'll bother us all night."

Maria smacked his arm with a pillow. "Shut up. I love Torrie."

He chuckled. "I do, too. I'm just sayin.' Answer it."

Maria grinned and pressed talk. "Hello Torrie," Maria sang.

She was greeted with sniffs and loud sobs.

"What?" Maria asked, her heart sinking. "Torrie, what's going on?"

Jeff shot her a confused glance and she shrugged back.

Torrie continued to sob and tap off the story.

"Oh my God..." Maria's heart sank, "Okay, we'll be right there."

She swallowed, pressed end on her phone, an shut her eyes.

"What is it?" Jeff asked.

A tear began to slide down Maria's cheek. "We need to get to the hospital, Jeff. There's been a shooting."

...

St. David's, the local hospital was swarming with people.

Four people had been driven in an ambulance there, one had been airlifted. And that one was Shawn Michaels. The doctors who had examined him had announced that the bullet had just barely missed his main artery. But even so, he was the worst off of all the victims.

All of the victims but Mr. Lawler were in surgery at the moment. Ted, Eve, Shawn, and Gail all had to have the bullets removed, but the bullet that had Mr. Lawler had gone clean through his leg, which meant he only needed stitches and he'd be okay.

Gail had been shot in the shoulder, right above her collarbone. It was also dangerously close to her neck. Luckily, it hadn't hit her there, or else she would have had the displeasure of getting shot in the jugular vein. And if she had, she almost certainly would have died.

Ted had been shot in his left side, just above his hip, but as far as the doctors knew, he hadn't got hit in any of his major organs. Still, they were taking many precautions to ensure his safety went right.

Eve had been hit in the elbow and the doctors were almost positive that she was going to be fine. She still had to have surgery, though.

Shawn Michaels was definitely the worst off of them all.

Lilian was pacing around the waiting room, eyes welled up with tears and head pointed down. Candice had tried talking to her best friend, but she eventually gave up and sat down beside her boyfriend, Dave, who had his hands folded neatly in his lap.

"My fault, my fault," Lilian muttered, going in her circle once more.

"Lilian," Kelly said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Lilian merely shrugged her off.

Kelly sighed and sat back down beside Mickie.

...

Pacing outside of an operating room was Cody Rhodes and Maryse Ouellet. Cody's best friend - and the boy that Maryse loved - life was hanging in the balance.

"He has to be okay, Cody. He has to!" she exclaimed, placing her face in her hands.

"He's gonna be fine," Cody said, totally unsure of it himself. He knew that he knew no more than Maryse did. But even still, he knew that she needed to hear that.

Suddenly, he heard a small sobbing noise. Cody assumed that it was only Maryse, but soon, he realized that it actually wasn't her.

"Did you hear that?" he asked the French-Canadian blond.

She shook her head no.

He furrowed his brows. "Ok...ay, well, I'm gonna go see what it is. Will you be okay?"

She nodded.

Cody patted her shoulder once more before turning on his heel and moving toward the noise. He stopped at a small broom closet and opened it. There he saw a sobbing girl with black hair.

"Layla?" Cody asked, stepping into the closet. Boy, was it cramped!

Layla sniffed. "Hi, Cody."

Even though he was still pissed at her for standing him up that time at Copeland's, he still felt sort of sorry for her. "What's the matter?"

"It's Eve!" she sobbed again.

He blew out a breath. "I thought...I thought that it was just her elbow?"

She nodded. "Yeah, it was. But it hit one of her major veins. They're not sure how the surgery's gonna...gonna go!" she began to sob again.

"Don't...," he trailed off, "don't cry." He placed a hand on her shoulder.

She looked up with teary eyes. "Didn't Ted get shot, too?"

He nodded. "Yeah, but I'm pretty sure that it wasn't too damaging."

Cody really needed to start remembering that!

She wiped at her eyes. "Cody, I'm sorry about what happened at...at Copeland's," she stammered. "It was all Rosa's idea. We kind of follow her."

He nodded. "I know. It's pretty obvious."

Suddenly, Layla let out a soft breath and wrapped her arms around him. Cody felt a bit awkward, but he soon returned the hug.

Layla pulled away slightly and looked into Cody's eyes. Soon, she pressed her lips to his. At first, Cody didn't kiss her back, but eventually, he did. Passion took over and he picked her up and shoved her against the wall.

Because maybe he had feelings for Mickie, but those feelings that he _used _to have were resurfacing. That, and the fact that grief was making his brain fuzzy. People do crazy things when they're sad.

And everyone who walked by that closet _knew_ just how crazy it was getting.

**I know it's short, but that was kind of the plan, ha ha. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed it! And special thanks to Tara and Matt for keeping at me about this story. I promise I'll update again this week, if not more. I feel like I'm neglecting y'all, and I'm sorry about that! **

**If any of you are feeling the effects of Hurricane Sandy, just know that my thoughts and prayers are with you! **

**Just so y'all know, my birthday's Friday (November 2, 2012). I'll be 16! It would totally make my day if you'd follow me on Twitter and subscribe to me on Youtube. You can find the links on my profile page. I actually got an early present from my aunt. It was a John Cena Brawlin' Buddy. LOL, it's truly wonderful (besides the fact that its eyes are brown and not that ocean blue that I drown in). I've slept with it every night since I got it. **

**What do you guys think about Layla and Cody. O_O Where will that go? What will Mickie say if she finds out? And what about Lilian and Maryse? Are they gonna recover from what's going on? Ooh, and what about Matt and Lita and Edge and Ashley? Will they be okay? And also, I've got another story line coming up soon for Christian that I'm sure you're all gonna **_**love**_**! :D**

**This chapter's named for Katie Armiger's "Scream." I thought that it really fit. **

**Ooh, and don't forget to check out mine and Kelly's co-written story, "The Forbidden Touch!"**

**Well, I hope you all enjoyed!**

**-Kalina**


	36. Behind Those Eyes

**I'm sorry it took so long, guys! I've been a bad, bad writer. I know I've got to do better. I should say that it's because of school (because it is in part), but it's mostly because I just can't seem to sit down and write! But anyway, here we go again! Now, I know a few things in this chapter are abrupt, but that was the point. I want you all to have to go back and read it a million times just to believe it's actually there! Also, we've got a couple new characters. Any idea who they could be? :D**

October - and November, too - drifted away like the leaves on a tree in autumn. Wade Barrett had shaken everyone to their core. Traumatic experiences are awful enough, but to experience this at only one's teenage years made it all the more worse.

People were worried about Lilian. The blond Latina was lifeless and she was losing weight. She wasn't eating right, she wasn't sleeping, her schoolwork was suffering. Her teachers tried to understand, but they could only give her so much leeway. Every day after school, she jumped into her silver Ford Taurus and drove all the way to St. David's, where Shawn still lay inanimate and still, where she cried for the three visiting hours that she was allowed, just as long as his parents weren't there, where her heart broke even more with each passing day.

Here she was, in perfect health, while Shawn, her savior, lay with his life in the balance. Not a scratch lay on her body, but his was punctured.

Just like her heart.

* * *

"Time to call Evan," Cody said, sighing. He looked over at Ted, who had his arm in a sling.

"Is it your turn or mine?" Ted asked, running his hand over his hair.

"Yours," Cody replied.

Mickie and Maryse, Cody and Ted's respective girlfriends, shared a knowing glance.

Ted tilted his head to the side and then pulled out his Android, dialing Evan's number. It took three rings for his friend to answer his phone.

"Hello?" the voice on the other end was pretty much dead.

"Hey Ev," Ted said, clearing his throat.

"Hey," Evan repeated.

Ted sighed. "So...how are you doing?"

"I'm okay," Evan replied.

"When are you coming back to school?" Ted asked.

"Tomorrow," Evan replied, "my...my flu's almost gone."

Ted bit his lip. "I thought you had strep throat?"

"I...," Evan trailed off, "I didn't say that."

"Yes, you did," Ted retorted, "you said that yesterday when Cody called you."

Evan remained silent. "He must have gotten it wrong."

Ted pursed his lips. "Okay...well, feel better, man."

"Thanks," Evan replied, letting out a forced cough.

"Bye."

Ted switched off his phone and looked at the other three people with him.

"Still sick?" Cody asked.

Ted rolled his eyes and nodded. "Yeah, he is."

"I got his English assignments," Maryse said, handing them to Ted. "Can you take them to him this afternoon."

He took them and smiled at her. "Sure, Ryse. Thanks."

She nodded. "Anything for you."

Maryse could not describe how happy she was to be back with Ted. After his surgery two months ago, she'd begged him to listen to her. And he had. He'd listened to every word and he apologized, promising to _never_ listen to anyone but her - ever again. Now, they were back together and as happy as ever, too.

Michelle's parents had legitimately _freaked_ when they learned of the shooting. Luckily, she hadn't been hurt, but her parents had then moved her to an all girl's private Christian school, where maybe just maybe, she'd actually be safe.

Mike was done with Maryse. He had finally accepted that she was never going to want anyone but Ted. After Eve had been released from the hospital, _he _was the first person to bring her flowers. _He _was the one who sat with her while she regained her strength. _He _was the one who drove her to school her first day back. _He _was now the one Eve was dating.

And because Maryse was so happy to have Ted back, she'd forgiven he and Michelle.

"This is the third week he's faked sick," Cody said to Ted sadly.

Ted nodded. "I know. I understand that he's upset about Gail. But she's gone and she's not coming back."

The four fell silent. Cody's eyes drifted to where Mickie's hands were draped over her stomach.

It was still unthinkable that she was pregnant. It made his head spin, actually. The day that she told was locked in his memory. He could remember it like it was yesterday, really.

_After the accident, he and Mickie had decided to go steady, and with this, they had a weekly date, if not more. It was on Sunday afternoon and they always had lunch at Copeland's. He always picked her up around noon, and this noon wasn't unlike the others. _

_Except for what happened after he'd arrived at her house. _

_Mickie had answered the door with red-rimmed eyes. Instantly, Cody could tell that something was wrong with her. _

"_Are you okay?" he'd asked her. _

_She'd shaken her head no and taken his hand. Two steps at a time, she dragged him upstairs to her bedroom. _

"_Mickie, what _is_ it?" he'd asked her, after she'd sat him down on her bed. _

_Instantly, the tears in her eyes spilled over. _

_And right on cue, Cody had gathered her in his arms. "Micks, it can't be that bad." _

_Then, she looked up, straight into his eyes and pulled away. _

_Cody watched as she reached over to her dresser and picked up a small white stick. Looking closer, Cody recognized that it was a pregnancy test and his heart had immediately sank. There was a small, pink plus sign on it. _

_He was momentarily speechless. "It...it's mine?"_

_Mickie's tears came faster and she nodded. _

_Cody gave her a confused glance. "When? We've only done it once." _

_She nodded. _

_His eyes widened. "But...but I wore a condom!" _

_She shrugged and sniffed. "I guess it didn't work."_

_Cody pursed his lips. Then he swallowed. "Mick, it's gonna be okay. It's gonna be okay." _

So here they were. They were about to become a stereotype, teenaged parents. But Cody really, really loved Mickie, so maybe it wouldn't be that bad.

If only he could believe that.

Suddenly, the bell rang, telling the students that lunch was over. The four of them stood up and went to leave.

"Hold on," Mickie said, "I forgot something!"

She ran back to pick up her notebook that she'd absentmindedly left on a bench. Then, she walked back to where Cody, Ted, and Maryse stood, waiting for her. She grabbed Cody's hand and clutched it.

"Ready?" he asked her.

She nodded, glancing behind her. "Yeah, I am." She took one last glance at her baby's _real_ father and left.

...

Evan threw his iPhone to the floor and sniffed. He laid back on his bed, staring at his white ceiling. He knew that he couldn't hide out forever, but right now, that's all he knew.

He just wished that he could have been the one to shoot Wade, instead of Wade himself. Because of him, he'd lost the girl that he truly, truly loved. Well, technically, he hadn't really lost her. He preferred not to think about it, but just her name brought tears to his eyes.

A month ago, Gail had told him something that had broken his heart so badly that he was certain it would never, _ever_ heal.

_Gail had called him, telling him that she needed to see him immediately. Obediently, he'd jumped into his car and sped right over there. The first thing he noticed was the huge 'SOLD' sign in her front yard. Then, he saw the U-Haul van and three large men carrying boxes out of her house. His heart had sank. Gail was sitting on the front steps, her head in her hands. _

_He walked over to her and sat down beside her. "Gail, what's going on?" _

_She sniffed. "My...my parents and I...we're moving b-back to California...," she trailed off, choking on her words. _

_Evan groaned, dipping his head back. "No...," he said, "no!" _

_Gail began to cry even harder and Evan dropped his head down, feeling tears begin to stream from his face. She leaned her head onto his shoulder and Evan wrapped his arms around her. _

"_I love you," she whispered. _

"_I love you more," he whispered back. _

Evan just wasn't sure if he could make it without her. He loved her so much!

Suddenly, there was a knock at his door.

* * *

A few hours later, the bell rang again, this time telling the students went their separate ways. Lilian was headed to the hospital, Cody and Mickie were headed to the doctors, Ted was going to Evan's and Maryse was going with him. Hunter was going to visit Scott Steiner. He'd been going to see him every two weeks for a while now, actually. At first, it had only been a bowl or two of marijuana, but over the course of two months, it had grown to speed and LSD, too. Anything that could possibly get his mind off of Shawn, well, he was willing to try it. And boy did it ever.

The speed raised his senses so that he forgot about the condition of his best friend. The LSD made him see things that _weren't_ Shawn. He just couldn't handle the condition that Shawn was in. He'd known Shawn since the day he was born, and they'd been best friends since. And he knew that Shawn would be totally against what he was doing to himself, but he didn't care. It wasn't like Shawn knew it, anyway.

His relationship with Stephanie could have had a lot of progress by now, but he'd gone and screwed it up - again. Not only was he hurting himself, but he was hurting her, too. She'd really thought that he liked her, but now, she supposed that she was wrong.

Stephanie watched as Hunter got into his truck, slamming the door. She sat in her Mercedes, thinking. Finally, she decided it was time to get to the bottom of what was wrong with him. She turned the ignition, and keeping a short distance away, began to follow him to his destination.

* * *

Right after school, John had gone home and changed, sweaty after his PE class that was at the very end of the day. But since it was Friday, he'd decided that he was going to go see Torrie and invite her over to his house for movie night. That is, if she wasn't helping Dawn with another one of her fittings. Torrie's father had all but forced her to start helping Dawn with the wedding, despite her very obvious dislike for his fiancée. It didn't help that Torrie's father and John's father were still dating and therefore a bit out of their children's lives.

Not that they were being neglected, because that was far from the truth. After the shooting, Torrie's mother wouldn't let her step foot out of the house for an entire weekend. Even though Wade was dead, she was still terrified that something would happen. But John's dad had told her that there was no way to protect your children from every danger. While still wary, Lana finally allowed Torrie to leave the house.

John knocked on the door and Lana answered. She had a bright smile waiting for him. "Hi, John!"

He grinned. "Hi, Lana."

Ever since she and John Sr. had started dating, Lana had insisted that John call her Lana, but Torrie couldn't very well do the same with John's father, considering they had the same name.

"Is Torrie here?" John asked.

Lana nodded. "She's up in her room watching _Glee_ again."

John chuckled and shook his head. "She's obsessed with that show."

"I know," Lana said, stepping aside to invite John in.

Torrie's house was decorated with Christmas decorations because it was the seventh of December. She and her mother _loved_ Christmas and they'd put their decorations up two days after Thanksgiving. It would have been the day after, but they'd both gone Black Friday shopping.

John ran up the stairs to where Torrie was.

As he was doing this, Torrie _was_ watching Glee, but that wasn't all she was doing. Though she'd stopped right after she and John had gotten back together, she had started drinking tequila again. It wasn't hard to get ahold of, as Dawn bought bottles and bottles at a time. She never noticed if one went missing. So, whenever she went over to the house her father and Dawn were renting, she'd slip a bottle into her purse, never noticed.

One might ask why she'd started again and it was simple: the baby. Now, it was true that she'd had the miscarriage quite a while back, but she'd began to have the awful nightmares again. It was always Torrie and a baby girl. Sometimes, the girl was a child. But no matter the age, the child was always in danger: getting hit by a car, getting kidnapped, drowning, and Torrie could never save her.

Just like she hadn't been able to save her when she'd had the miscarriage.

Lately, Torrie had also been having weird, fuzzy visions about herself falling. She couldn't understand why, either. She didn't remember having a bad fall, so logically, she hadn't had one. Was it the tequila?

Or was it something else?

John knocked on the door and quickly, Torrie shoved the bottle under her bed. She reached over onto her nightstand and popped five mints into her mouth. She couldn't hide the glazed over look in her eyes, but she just might be able to hide the alcohol on her breath.

"Come in!" she said.

She expected to see her mom, but instead, it was her boyfriend, who she loved so much. She smiled brightly and looked up at him. "Hi, John!"

He smiled. "Hey, Tor. You watching _Glee_ again?"

She nodded. "This was a sad episode, though."

John looked onscreen where Finn, Rachel, Blaine, Kurt, Santana, Brittany, Will, and Emma were singing "The Scientist" by Coldplay.

"I love this song," she said, gazing at the TV.

John could tell that there was something weird going on with her. "Hmm, me, too." He sat down beside her on her bed as it went off.

Torrie switched the TV from DVD to the satellite receiver. She began to flip through the channels until she came across a rerun of _Buffy, the Vampire Slayer_. "Ooh!" she said, "let's watch this!"

John frowned. "Torrie, are you okay?"

Torrie switched her gaze from the TV to John. "Why?"

He shrugged.

Leaning over to him, Torrie pressed her lips against his and kissed him hard. She pulled away and said, "Do I seem okay, now?"

His shoulders sank and gave Torrie a hard look. "Torrie, have you been drinking?"

* * *

Randy flopped down on the couch, exhausted from another day at school He was so glad that Christmas break was only a week or so away now. If he could make it though one more week of school, he'd be done for two weeks and wouldn't have to worry about it - for a short period of time.

He sighed, closing his eyes. Try as he might, he couldn't stop from going to sleep.

And suddenly, it was happening again.

_Wade had Stacy by the throat, butt of his gun pressed firmly against her skull. Randy ran to where they stood, knocking them down. _

_But this time, the gun went off early, hitting Stacy. And Randy ran to her side, as he did in this dream every time, but she was dead. Dead! She was gone and he could do nothing to save her. Now, Wade held the gun to Randy's head, but because he was so distraught about Stacy, he didn't notice. All that he knew were the countless tears streaming down his face. He was stuck here, watching her die. _

_And then...blackness. He was dead and he knew it. _

Awaking Randy from his awful nightmare was the noise of rapping on the front door. Randy yawned and then jumped to answer it.

There behind it, was none other than his girlfriend.

Stacy Keibler.

* * *

"Miss Kanellis?"

Maria smiled and walked up to Miss Laurer, who had just called her to the office. "Yes, Miss Laurer?"

Maria noticed that there was a _beautiful_, but unfamiliar blond girl with the hardbodied teacher.

Miss Laurer spoke. "This is Tiffany Terrell. She's new here. I was hoping that you could find someone with a similar schedule to hers for Monday. You can try the book of schedules over there. I would do it myself, but I've got to catch a flight. My sister's getting married this wedding."

"Sure," Maria answered, "and tell your sister I said congratulations."

Miss Laurer nodded. "Thank you, Maria." She smiled before picking up her things and leaving the office.

"Hi Tiffany," Maria said, smiling at her.

"Hi Maria," Tiffany replied, grinning. She walked over to where the redhead stood, looking over the book of schedules.

"Okay, let's see."

Tiffany handed Maria her schedule. Maria then began flipping through the book.

After a few minutes, Maria exclaimed, "Aha! I found one!"

"Really?" Tiffany asked, "Is it a girl or a boy? Are they nice?"

Maria bit her lip.

"Well?" Tiffany asked, her brown eyes growing concerned.

Maria sighed. "It's a guy. His name is Christian Reso. He's not exactly the best guy ever."

As if on cue, Christian walked out of Mr. Laurinaitis room wearing a scowl. Mr. Laurinaitis put a hand on his shoulder and said, "I trust you won't spray paint the bathrooms again, Mr. Reso?"

Christian nodded. "Yes, Mr. Laurinaitis. I won't."

"Did I hear his name?" Mr. Laurinaitis asked.

Maria nodded. "Well, yes. Miss Laurer wanted me to find someone with the same schedule as Tiffany so that they could show her around."

Mr. Laurinaitis nodded. "Perfect! Christian, why don't you go introduce yourself to her?"

Christian sighed. "Yes, Mr. Laurinaitis."

Mr. Laurinaitis went back into his office with a grin pasted on his face.

"Christian," Maria said, "this is Tiffany Terrell. Tiffany, this is Christian Reso."

"Hi!" Tiffany said, cheerfully.

"Hey," Christian replied, looking away.

Tiffany shot Maria a confused glance who, in return, shrugged.

At that moment, the doors to the office slid open and in walked Maria's boyfriend of two months, Jeff Hardy. "Hey Ria!" he said, coming up to her and kissing her cheek.

"Hey," she said, blushing.

It felt truly wonderful to have him as hers. It was indescribable, really.

"Jeff, this is Tiffany Terrell, she's new. Tiffany, this is Jeff Hardy, my boyfriend."

Tiffany smiled. "Hi, Jeff!"

"Hey Tiffany," Jeff grinned, "welcome to Drama HS."

Tiffany grinned. "It can't be that bad."

Maria shrugged. "Guess again. Well, I'll see you Monday, Tiffany. If you want, you can sit with us."

The blond nodded. "That'd be great. Thanks, Maria!"

Maria waved and took Jeff's hand, leaving the office.

Tiffany turned back to Christian, who was still standing there. "Do you want to meet in front of the office Monday?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Whatever," he said, rudely. Then, he left as quickly as he had come.

Tiffany couldn't explain why, but this Christian character had really, really hurt her feelings.

* * *

"Candy, do you wanna meet up at Copeland's tonight? Around seven maybe?"

Candice smiled sadly. "Sorry, Dave. I've gotta work. One of the girls took off tonight because her son is sick."

He sighed sadly. "Okay, tomorrow maybe?"

"Of course," she replied, "I love you, Davey." she grinned over the phone.

"Love you, too," he smiled.

Candice was definitely the only girl, scratch that, _person_ who could call him Davey. Anyone else, he'd punch straight in the nose.

The couple hung up. Candice really hated lying to her boyfriend, as she really, really loved him, but he just couldn't know that she was still stripping. Her family was definitely getting back on its feet and she couldn't stop now. Definitely not.

It looked as if she was just going to have to keep lying.

* * *

Matt and Ashley were at Copeland's eating supper, just as they had the last few Fridays.

Since their respective break ups with Lita and Adam, they'd been spending a lot of time together. Edge and Lita had tried countless times to try and get Ashley and Matt to listen, but it wasn't working.

"You're lying!" Ashley exclaimed, "There's no way!"

Matt laughed and nodded. "I think someone took a picture if you don't believe me. But I swear!"

They were discussing the Biology, Anatomy, and Environmental Science teacher, Miss Carter, who had been wearing a short, short dress and knee-length boots at school that day. She had been sitting on a table, where she'd crossed his legs. It just so happened that she'd failed to put underwear on that day.

"Hey, guys!"

Matt and Ashley looked up and saw two of their friends, Chris and Trish, holding hands.

They hadn't been getting along as well because of Edge and Lita. Chris and Adam were really good friends, as were Lita and Trish, but that didn't mean that they weren't still friends. The one thing that had put hindrance between them was the fact that they were constantly begging Matt and Ashley to forgive Edge and Lita.

"Mind if we join you?"

"No, go ahead," Ashley said, smiling.

Trish took a seat beside Ashley and Chris took one beside Matt.

The four of them actually had a pretty good time, that is until a certain two people walked past the table. The blond and the redhead walked by as the table fell silent.

* * *

"AJ, you're going to have to do this. I know that it's gonna be hard, but if you don't, you're never gonna escape him."

AJ sighed. "I know, Punk. I know." Over the course of the time since the shooting, AJ had finally gotten the courage to break up with Daniel - mostly at Punk's urging.

But soon after, Daniel had found AJ and assaulted her, badly. She had a broken arm and everything. At more of Punk's urging, AJ had pressed charges against him. At the moment, though, AJ was having second thoughts.

What would happen if Daniel got off? What if he got loose and found her again? What if there was a next time and the consequences were much worse? What if he...killed her?

AJ bit her lip and signed the papers.

It was officially set in stone.

* * *

Cody hung around the hallway of the school, waiting. The night before, he'd gotten a text asking him to meet someone in the hallway right after school. He hadn't recognized the number, but he figured that it was important. However, he really wished that this person would hurry the hell up. He and Mickie had a doctor's appointment.

Suddenly, a dark-skinned beauty came into his vision.

"Layla?" he asked.

She nodded, lips pursed.

"What do you want?" he asked, folding his arms across his chest.

She sighed. "Cody, there's really no easy way to say this."

"Then just spit it out," Cody snapped.

Even though they'd hooked up in the hospital's closet two months earlier, Cody still couldn't stand the girl.

She let out a breath. "Remember that day we," she lowered her voice, "slept together?"

He nodded. "Thought we agreed not to speak about it?"

She nodded, too. "We did."

"Then what is it?" he asked.

Layla groaned. "Cody, don't you get it?"

"No, I don't."

Layla leant her head back, rolling her eyes and staring at the ceiling. Finally, she looked back at Cody.

"Cody, I'm pregnant."

* * *

**O_O Cody's in some deep shit, huh? Usually, guys freak out over **_**one**_** baby mama, but now he's got **_**two**_**! Anddd, he's not even the daddy of one of 'em! OMG! It seems like everyone's got something going on, no matter how big or small it is. I tried to put in everyone, and if they're missing, there's a reason why. So, what do we think so far? Let me know! This chapter's pretty long, isn't it? I haven't wrote this much in a while! Also, I've got 299 reviews. One more, and I'll have 300. Who's gonna be my 300th? :D**

**Thank you so much and this chapter is named for 3 Doors Down's "Behind Those Eyes." I love, love, love 3 Doors Down! **

**Well, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed! **

**-Kalina**

**BTW, I had a great birthday! I got a whole lot of Cena stuff. I posted pictures on Twitter. You can follow me Twilsonwarrior. Do it, 'cause I follow back! :)**


	37. Use Somebody

**Long time no see!**

**All right, you all have the right to throw things at me. I'm sorry that I've had such writers' block! This will probably be short, as the story's gonna end soon (I know, how sad). But maybe not, we shall see. This story is seriously mentally draining me, lol. But thanks to all of you for each review! :)**

**And actually, I have an excuse for **_**this**_** week! my stupid teachers assigned a ten page research paper like, three weeks before our semester tests! I have tests Monday and Tuesday and then I'm out of school until December 7th, so yay! Enjoy my lovelies! Oh, by the way, I CANNOT BELIEVE THAT THIS IS THE 37th CHAPTER! I'M SO PROUD OF MYSELF! **

The real reason why Tiffany Terrell had moved to this part of Tampa was because of her parents. It wasn't that they didn't like Tallahassee - actually, the'd loved it. But then, they'd loved Miami, Orlando, and Daytona, too. Moving was just something that happened if you were in the Terrell family. It was all because of Mr. Terrell's job. He owned _Terrell, Love, and Care_, which, yes, is a truly awful name for a business.

Basically, the gist of what _TLC_, as Tiffany preferred to call it, was to help underprivileged children. In each city in Florida where they'd lived over the course of Tiffany's life, her father had opened a _TLC_, which had all been very successful. The patriarch of the Terrell family had been living in the area for the last six months, in which he'd been overseeing the construction and business aspect of the deal. Tiffany and her mother had stayed in Tallahassee until only a week ago. She didn't want to leave until she absolutely had to.

But now she was here.

Tampa seemed nice, sure, but she was sick of moving all the time. She had no time for friendships, not to even think of relationships. She'd never had a boyfriend and had only been on a few dates, despite how pretty and sweet she was.

For some reason, she felt okay here. The few people she'd met - besides Christian Reso - were very nice. Maria definitely was, and so was Jeff. The teacher that she'd met in the office...what was her name? Miss Laurer, yes, that was right, she was really nice, too. But she could only wonder what Jeff meant by 'Drama HS.'

She'd just have to wait for Monday to find out.

* * *

Cody blinked was Layla stared at him. She was staring so hard and so blankly that he assumed she was looking straight through him. "I'm pregnant," she'd said. He couldn't believe it when Mickie had told him the same thing, but now that Layla had said it, too, well, he felt _extremely_ stupid.

_I've got to learn to keep it in my pants_, Cody thought to himself.

"Cody?" Layla asked, still eyeing him.

Cody cleared his throat. "And you're sure about this? I mean, we-we only did it one time."

_Sadly, this isn't the first time I've said that_.

Layla nodded. "It only takes one time."

Cody sighed. "Well, what are you gonna do?"

Layla glared at him. "What am _I_ gonna do? Cody, I didn't make this baby by myself!"

"Shh!" Cody exclaimed, "maybe you don't have anybody, but I _do_ have a girlfriend, who I'm supposed to be taking to the doctor."

"Yeah, I know," Layla said, "you knocked her up, too. You're sick and perverted, Cody. You really need to-"

"Layla, shut up! First of all, I know that I helped make it. Second of all, _you_ came onto me when I was vulnerable," he shook his head, "and if you want me to help you, you better stop insulting me."

Layla glared at him. "You sound like a chick. I'm surprised you even have a di-"

"All right, Layla," Cody interjected, "figure this out by yourself. But don't you say a damn thing to Mickie!"

"Ugh!" he exclaimed, slamming his backpack against the wall. He stalked right out of the school and to where his girlfriend was waiting.

Layla smirked and let out a laugh.

Her plan was working out just fine.

* * *

While Mickie was waiting for Cody, she was thinking. Thinking long and hard about the events that had transpired since the beginning of senior year. At the beginning of the year, she'd been a happy-go-lucky girl without a care in the world. She had a loving, wonderful boyfriend who she _thought_ loved her.

But then, she found out that he slept with her _best friend_. After that, everything changed. She lost friends, she lost her boyfriend. Now, she had a new boyfriend, one who was sweet and caring and loved her. He never lied to her, never judged her. And besides, Jeff was happy now, much happier with Maria than he had been with her. The way she saw it, he'd done her a favor. He loved Maria so much more than he had her and Maria's entire existence was tied to Jeff. She saw that now, but back then, it hurt her badly.

Now, she was pregnant, something she swore would _never_ happen. Worse, she was lying about who the-

Suddenly, Mickie heard a tap on the window of Cody's car. She looked up and saw a familiar, pale redhead. She sighed and closed her eyes. "Hello Sheamus."

"Open the door, Mickie," he demanded in his thick Irish accent.

She bit her lip but obliged.

"Listen Micks," his tone softened, "I know that you don't give a damn about me, but I really think that we should talk. I know that the b-"

Mickie's eyes widened, seeing her boyfriend approach the car. "Sheamus, I don't want to talk about it. Look, Cody's here. Just leave me alone."

Sheamus sighed, running his hand over his hair. Cody nodded, walking past him and sliding into his car.

"What was that about?" he asked Mickie.

She shrugged, leaning over and kissing him passionately. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."

The redhead watched painfully as Mickie and Cody drove away.

* * *

Wiping at his eyes viciously, Evan said, "go away, Ted! Just leave the work under my door. I don't feel like talking to anyone!"

The door slowly opened and the last person Evan expected walked in. It was a pretty blond girl named Kelly Blank.

He swallowed, seeing one of his best friends - and former crush standing in his room with a worried look on her face. "Hey, Kells. What are you doing here?"

He turned away from her, flopping onto his bed.

Kelly pursed her lips and sat down beside him. "Evan, I'm really, really worried about you."

He chuckled. "Are you? You weren't worried about me when you were all over CM Punk!"

Kelly closed her eyes, biting her lip. "Evan, I never meant to hurt you. I just...I don't know. But I'm not here to talk about me. I'm here to talk about you...," she trailed off, "and Gail."

She noticed the pain that crossed over his face at the mention of his ex-girlfriend. "And what? The fact that because Wade Barrett was a stupid prick, I don't ever get to see the girl I love anymore." He felt tears prick to his eyes, but he was too proud to let them fall.

Kelly swallowed. "We're all worried about you. When are you coming back to school?"

"Tomorrow," he lied.

The blond could tell that he was lying. "You know, the semester's over next week. I mean, our semester exams are Monday and Tuesday. And then, they're over."

He shrugged.

Kelly reached over and touched his arm, sending a chill throughout him. He hated to admit it, but even when he'd been dating Gail, he still had strong feelings for Kelly. "Please come back. We all miss you."

"And this is because CM Punk found a new girl to flirt with, right?" he asked, tilting his head to the side.

It was true that Punk had been spending a lot of time with AJ, but just because of that didn't mean they were together. Still, the words stung Kelly.

She snorted. "Maybe I shouldn't have come."

"Maybe not," Evan agreed.

For some odd reason, Kelly felt the urge to cry. She didn't know how much she'd valued Evan until now, when he didn't want to listen to a word she said. She took a deep breath. "If it means anything, I really, really miss you."

She choked back her tears and slammed his door shut.

* * *

"Randy what _is_ the matter?" Stacy asked, pulling toward the couch.

He shrugged. "Another nightmare, I guess."

"Another one?" she asked, concerned, "Randy are you sure that you're okay?"

He nodded. "I'm fine, Stace. It was a dream...," he trailed off, "only a dream."

"Are you positive?" Stacy demanded, still not totally convinced.

"Damn it, Stace! I'm fine!" He snapped.

Stacy sighed, sitting down beside him.

"Shit...," he trailed off, "I'm sorry, Stace. I didn't mean to-"

"Don't," she interrupted, "listen, Randy. I totally understand. I mean, Wade almost killed _both_ of us," she shivered. "And that's really, really scary. But what's important is that we've got each other now, right?"

He nodded. "Yeah." Then he grinned, "yeah." He pulled her closer and kissed her long and hard.

Stacy giggled. "You know, Randy, if you _ever_ want to talk about what happened, I'm right here for you. You know I love you."

"I know," he replied, "besides, you're a _much_ better kisser than Rosa ever was."

* * *

"John, where in the world did you get that idea?" Torrie asked, shutting her mouth just as quickly as she'd opened it.

He shrugged. "Your breath smells - and tastes - like alcohol. I mean, we just got out of school. It's not like you've been to a party or anything."

Torrie shook her head no at him. "I just took some cough syrup because I've been coughing lately, but that's all. I haven't been drinking." She held up her pinkie. "Pinkie swear."

John sighed. He wasn't convinced, but he decided to let it go. "All right, then. I'm sorry I accused you of it."

She grinned. "That's fine."

"Torrie, I'm leaving now! I'm going to finish Christmas shopping!" they heard Lana yell.

"How long will you be gone?!" Torrie yelled back.

"An hour or so!" her mother replied.

Torrie went to her window and watched as her mother's white Sedan pulled out of their driveway. Then, she turned back to John and gave him a sexy smile. "So, Mom's gonna be gone for an hour. It's Friday afternoon. What do you feel like doing?"

John got the message. He pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arms around her. Then, he pressed his lips against her ear and whispered, "you."

Torrie giggled as he picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist. John gently tossed Torrie onto the bed, still kissing her.

She laid there as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He opened one of the compartments and pulled out a condom. He waved it at her and she began to laugh.

_She's much more giggly than usual_, John thought to himself.

She slapped at his hand and he dropped it.

"Torrie!" he griped, "fuck, girl!"

She laughed again. "Get it, peasant!"

John rolled off of the bed and dropped to the carpeted floor. He didn't see the condom _anywhere_, so he started feeling around for it under the bed. That was where he felt his hand roll over something that rolled. He frowned and pulled it out. When he read the label, he pursed his lips in anger. The label read, 'Tequila.'

"Not drinking, huh?"

*Clears throat. For the simple fact that I had a ten page research paper and semester tests this week, this was all I could manage, but I promise more for next time! LOL, I was actually embarrassed writing about condoms, which is weird, because my research paper topic was teen pregnancy, in which I basically wrote almost 3,000 words about sex, heehee. It was weird and it took me _forever_ to write! Actually, this did, too. This is the third week that I've worked on it. So, thanks to Legsxrko for the moral support and for coaxing me to update. *Gives you cookies. Thanks, darling! Oh, by the way, FINCHEL!

I figure I'll upload _something_ before Christmas, but if I get extremely lazy and don't, Merry Christmas, y'all!

-Kalina


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